Other Evils in this World
by ChoMomo
Summary: Her eyes were so beautiful, but so very sad. Empty of emotion, leading to her darkened soul. Snape realizes there is one girl among the third year Slytherins who captures his eye for reasons entirely unknown to him. Rated M for content and age dif.
1. Seeing Her

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the affiliated works or characters. L If I did, Severus Snape and Lucius Malfoy would currently be chained up in my closet ready to serve me when the time comes ;) Hahaa!

The Great Hall was always so vividly lit, full of eager students returning to yet another year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Each new year always brought along with it a new group of students with which to fill newly evicted beds passed down from graduated students. That was what it had been like for Lilia Gunner only two years ago. Now headed into her third year, she had grown quite accustomed to the constant ritual of sorting out the new children into the appropriate houses and then commence with dinner.

She lifted her head just the barest amount when one of the young boys was sorted into Slytherin. Her house. It was rare for a Muggle Born to be sorted into such an esteemed house, but she had been sorted there almost as soon as the Sorting Hat had touched her head.

She was one of the quiet ones in Slytherin, never one to boast of her status, after all, she wasn't extraordinarily brilliant as far as book smarts went, decently smart but nothing special, and both her parents were Muggles. What was there to be proud and arrogant about? She preferred to not speak of the answer.

As soon as the Sorting ritual was completed and all the first years were seated at the corresponding tables, the food appeared magically in front of them all. She swallowed, having grown a little hungry and so timidly reached out to grasp the handle of the silver tongs so she could plate some chips when someone reached over and smacked her hand carelessly out of the way.

Her green eyes narrowed, her gaze falling upon none other than Draco Malfoy.

"Watch it Mud Blood, privileged classes get first pickings after all. You should know this after being here the last two years," the sharp looking blonde spat with a sneer.

Lilia stayed silent, her dark green eyes standing out in sharp contrast to her pale white skin. She chose to say nothing, preferring not to get into a senseless squabble with a spoiled brat like Malfoy. However, she felt someone's eyes on her and turned to her left towards the tables where the professors sat.

Snape had been watching her. Or more specifically, the near argument between her and Draco. He looked as calm and cold as ever, so she turned her head away, ducking behind her straight black curtain of hair.

Lilia had never been afraid of Professor Snape like most of the other students in the school. To her, he was just another Slytherin who seemed arrogant and thought himself better than those around him, including those he taught. She supposed that was why he was so good at being head of Slytherin house. Either way, she didn't want to get his attention focused on her now, seeing as she'd evaded his snarky tone the previous two years.

After she finished eating what she'd picked up from the middle of the table, she got up with her classmates and slowly proceeded back to the common room, keeping her head down slightly to avoid eye contact with anyone she didn't feel like speaking to at that very moment.

Once in the Slytherin common room, she, along with the other third year girls headed up to their dormitories and got ready for bed.

Lilia was among the first to get changed and brush her teeth before laying down and closing her eyes once her head lay upon the soft cotton pillow.

When the lights were all out and the other girls were merely whispering to themselves about their morning classes, Lilia opened her eyes and simply revelled in that moment in the dark where no one would think twice about her and let her sleep a night in true peace.

The following morning, classes begun and of course, Lilia climbed out of bed with the rest of the girls and got ready for her first day. She buttoned up her white cotton shirt, fastened her skirt, pulled on her stockings and shoes, then put on her tie, followed by the jumper each student was supposed to wear. Lastly, she donned her black cloak with the Slytherin house symbol embroidered onto the left breast. Once dressed, she went to the mirror located just above her own dresser next to her bed and brushed her thick straight black hair all the way down to her waist, and then quickly ran the brush gently through her fringe of dark straight cut bangs. Setting the brush down, she gathered her books and headed to her first class of the morning. Herbology.

Personally, Lilia enjoyed Herbology. In comparison to most of the other classes within the school, she found it to be rather relaxing. It was a relatively easy start to her mornings, and she was rather good at the subject, so that only gave her more interest to begin her day with the subject. After Herbology, Lilia went on to her Charms class which was always alright. She always chose to sit at the back of the class, as she did in most cases, not really delighting in being called upon to practice the newest charm Professor Flitwick imposed upon the newest victim. Afterall, who would want to be the focus of attention only to be humiliated if the charm itself didn't work or went wrong? Not her. After charms, Lilia moved on to Transfiguration, a class she seemed to do well enough at, though as usual, there were others who did far better and grasped the material much faster than her. She preferred not to race through it though. She enjoyed taking her time to perfect the spells before attempting them, after all. She'd always been extremely cautious when it came to those things.

At last, her fourth period arrived, brining Lilia Gunner to stand outside the Potions classroom. She opened the door and proceeded to find the nearest vacant seat. She looked around, swallowing when she saw they were all taken up at the back, and moved closer to the front, then closer and finally to the front row where there was a seat empty in the middle.

Quickly assuming this vacant chair and placing her books neatly on the desk in front of her, Lilia awaited the arrival of their Potions Master.

Only seconds after Lilia had seated herself, she heard the door to the dungeon's door be kicked open, followed by the immediate presence of their darkly clad Potion's Master and head of house, Severus Snape.

Lilia's green eyes watched him as he stormed somehow gracefully and powerfully to the front of the room and assumed his place by his desk and turned to face the class.

Snape scanned the room for anyone missing and then stood straighter, pulling his black cloak closed around him like… some sort of vampire; or so Lilia at least thought to herself.

"Good afternoon, third years. Can anyone tell me what we will be working on today?" he asked, nodding towards the ingredients already stationed at regular intervals between each pair of students.

Lilia sighed lightly and glanced down to look at the ingredients upon her desk. Daisy roots, skinned shrivelfig, a caterpillar, a small spleen, a rat's? and some kind of liquid. She thought for a moment, trying to recognize the liquid, recognizing it as leech juice and then realized all these things were used to make a Shrinking Potion. She glanced around from beneath her curtain of dark hair, wondering if anyone knew.

"You there, girl, can you tell me what we might be making today?" Snape suddenly asked.

Lilia's gaze turned to meet Snape's, her eyes widening slightly. She glanced down at the ingredients to be sure once again and then parted her lips to answer. "A shrinking potion, sir?" she said.

Snape eyed her for a moment, long enough to make Lilia doubt her answer and feel foolish for thinking she might have actually gotten it correct when he nodded.

"Good, and what are the effects of this solution, exactly?" Snape asked, his dark eyes scanning the room for yet another unprepared victim to center out and humiliate somehow.

Lilia breathed a sigh of relief, leaning back into her chair and closed her eyes for a moment, a bit surprised when she heard a slight chuckle come from her right. She opened her eyes and met a pair of deep blue eyes and a slightly amused grin.

"Is something funny?" she whispered, glancing over the brown haired boys shoulder at Snape to make sure they wouldn't be caught talking.

He shrugged. "Your reaction to getting the answer correct merely amused me," he replied calmly, quirking a brow. He then extended his right hand over his left arm out to her. "Quinn Prewett," he said.

Lilia looked at him curiously, then down at his hand. She was about to reply that her name was Lilia Gunner when they were interrupted.

"I do not believe that anywhere in the curriculum it says to flirt with your potions partner, Mr. Prewett."

Lilia and Quinn both looked up to see their Potions Professor looming over their desk, looking down his nose at them as though they were some filthy vermin.

Lilia had always hated the feeling of being in trouble in plain view of those around her and so her eyes widened in surprise and she sat dumbfounded while his Professor looked back at her with a cold gaze.

"Apologies sir, I was merely introducing myself is all," Quinn said calmly.

Snape's gaze moved from Lilia to Quinn and remained there for some time. "Don't let me catch you introducing yourself to anyone again while I am instructing this class, Mr. Prewett… It would be a shame to have to reprimand one of my own Slytherin house students under such… childish circumstances…" he said coldly and moved away calmly, his gaze lingering a moment longer on Quinn and Lilia.

She watched him move on and resume his class.

Once Snape finished his instruction and the students began work on their Shrinking Potion, Quinn once again tried to make conversation with the quiet dark haired girl next to him.

"So, I didn't quite catch your name," he said, a slight grin forming on his lips, the corners of his mouth being tugged up at th every slightest against his will when he looked at Lilia.

She raised her head only a little and looked at him, then glanced down seeing his hand was yet again outstretched to her, she supposed, in a friendly manner. "Lilia Gunner," she replied quietly, turning back to the daisy roots she was evenly chopping into pieces for the potion.

"Lilia Gunner. That's a nice name for such a nice looking girl," Quinn boldly stated with a flirtatious smirk.

Lilia glanced over at him for a moment from beneath her dark fringe of bangs and frowned slightly. She wondered what sort of arrogant boy she'd landed as her partner for the assignment.

Quinn watched her chop the daisy roots and then chuckled. "Aren't much for conversation are you?" he asked.

She glanced at him curiously. "Is that a problem?"

"Not at all, I don't mind, I'll speak for both of us," he grinned.

Lilia looked at him like he had just grown another head.

He looked at her and then cleared his throat. "Sorry, I didn't mean to come on strong, I just wanted to meet someone new this year is all," he said calmly.

She looked at him quietly. "You can start by not distracting me while I'm cutting, thank you."

Quinn grinned and sighed, sitting back and waited for her to finish.

The rest of Potions class went on with a bit of a drag to Lilia. She tried to get out as quickly as possible, being one of the last to stay behind and clean up the desks for the next class. She had felt compelled to hurry especially since she felt Snape watching her every movement. Perhaps he was watching her because he was surprised to have a student who had recognized the ingredients of the Shrinking Potion? She couldn't guess.

Once that had been done, she gathered her things and glancing once quickly to see Snape reading something, she headed out, wondering if the feeling of him watching her had merely been something her mind had conjured up to make her paranoid.

Her eyes were so green. Even more vivid than Lily's had been when he had last seen her. Snape had never noticed that young dark haired, pale young woman in his classes before, but there she was, in his third year class, somehow having been there all along and without him noticing her.

She wasn't anything special at first glance, what with her thick dark black straight hair and short bangs covering her forehead, and almost her eyes. Her skin was so pale it was nearly completely white, quite possibly even paler than his own. But her eyes. So green, like a pair of emeralds had been plucked from some deep treasure trove and placed into her sockets. But they weren't merely startlingly lovely to look at, but so empty and sad.

Never in all his years of teaching had he ever seen such an empty gaze from such a young child. It was a look far beyond her years. Even that infernal Potter boy had been through too much for most children to bear and even his eyes weren't so devoid of emotion.

What sadness could possibly have burrowed its way into such a young girls heart and had such a toll that even her eyes were windows into the darkness of her soul?

Snape wondered who that young girl was and why he had never seen her before in any of his classes. How had one such as her evaded him for two whole years?

Please comment and review! This is my first fanfiction, and it's a bit of a bumpy start, but aren't they always? Haha! I hope to update often, and I have plenty of ideas in store. I look forward to hearing what people think. Thank you very much!


	2. Special Treatment After Detention

(( DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the affiliated works. If I did Severus Snape and Lucius Malfoy would be under my command doing my bidding among other things which we do not speak of ;)

Hoorayness! :D Already a new chapter in this story. Please enjoy and let me know what you all think! ;) ))

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'Why is this boy following me around everywhere I go?' Lilia thought to herself that gloomy morning as she walked to class, Quinn in tow. Over the course of a couple weeks he'd somehow come to the conclusion that Lilia wanted to be friends with him, which she had never said directly or implied in any way; at least not that she herself could see.

He was nice enough, but Lilia wasn't exactly the most sociable creature in the school, and hence was unaccustomed to having some loud mouth boy following her around and trying to peak her interest. The only obvious conclusion she could think of was he was merely thinking through the wrong head.

"Ah, Potions. How delightful. Want to sit together again, Lily?" he smiled at her.

She glanced up at him and stepped into the classroom, mentally snarling that her name wasn't Lily but Lilia. "Aren't you a bit too cheerful for a gloomy day like this?" she asked him dryly. 'For a Slytherin in general?' she wondered to herself.

Quinn chuckled as they sat down somewhere in the middle of the classroom. "Oh come on now, why should I let the weather have any effect on the way I feel?" he smirked and leaned a little closer than was necessary, whispering into her ear, "Especially when I'm with you?"

She shuddered inwardly, glancing at the dark haired blue eyed boy next to her, but then turned to face the front of the class when Professor Snape entered it. She flinched involuntarily when his gaze fell upon her for a brief instant but dismissed it as a mere check of attendance.

Once class began, Lily paid close attention, having always wanted to be better than she was at Potions. She had done well in Herbology and Transfiguration, seeing those two as rather necessary and useful classes to excel at, but Potions she knew she still needed to improve. Especially under Snape's sharp eye for detail.

As usual, Quinn decided for her that they would be partners in that morning's potion making assignment. She reluctantly said nothing, watching as Quinn went to get the proper ingredients, several students crowding around the cupboards to get the appropriate things needed to make their potion assigned to them.

Lilia's sad green eyes watched as the other students expectantly greeted their partners back, large smiles on their faces, laughs and whispers going on around her, things she had never been included in. Especially not in Slytherin house.

She turned her gaze down to read over her notes on the potion of that morning when she felt like she was being watched. She slowly looked up, flinching slightly when she noticed Professor Snape watching her intently. She blinked a few times, wondering when he would look away, and when he did not, she did by looking up to see Quinn fast reproaching their designated desk that morning. She swallowed, only half hearing what Quinn was saying while they began their work of chopping up ingredients and putting things in a specific amount of order into their cauldron.

Lilia's mind began to drift a little when she picked up the newt juice and was about to add it to the cauldron when she heard someone exclaim something in alarm.

"Lily!" Quinn exclaimed in alarm and snatched the vial of juice from her hand.

She flinched again, a bad habit forming she noticed, and looked up at Quinn in surprise when she heard the smash of something made of glass at the front of the room. Her green eyes turned to see Snape muttering something under his breath as he leaned down to pick up broken shards of some kind of glass container. He paused just as he was about to pick up the largest shard and turned to look at the now silent class. "Get back to work," he said in a warning tone.

Almost immediately the class jumped right back into what they had been doing, with the exception of Lilia who was staring wide eyed at Snape who had caught her gaze and not let it go for several seconds. Her lips parted slightly in surprise but he turned away before she could think of what to do.

Slowly, she turned back to face Quinn and looked up at him. "I… I'm sorry, I don't know where my mind was just there," she said hesitantly, looking down, feeling the heat of an embarrassed blush forming on her cheeks.

Quinn looked at her and smirked. "No problem, you look so cute when you blush like that I think I just might forgive you this time," he chuckled. "Just don't let it happen again," he teased. "That could have very easily blown off your hand there," he smirked, reaching for it and holding it softly for a moment.

Lilia looked at Quinn slightly darker hand wrapped around her smaller pale one and looked up to see Snape watching again, an odd look in his dark usually unreadable eyes. She looked away and pulled her hand out of Quinn's grasp quickly, looking down again. "Sorry… I don't feel well today, I think I need to use the lavatory, please excuse me," she whispered shakily, standing up and quickly exiting the classroom. She didn't care right now if Snape reprimanded her and gave her detention for leaving without permission. She felt like she could barely breathe in there right now. What with Quinn's forceful attention and Snape's cold beady stare upon her, watching her for any new mistakes she might make.

She turned a corner and relaxed seeing that it was an empty hallway. She leaned forward to the wall, pressing her forehead against the cool stone of it. She closed her eyes, taking a few deep breaths and then turned to lean her back against it, sliding down to the floor slowly and sighed. Once sitting, she pulled her feet up to her and hugged them close, defensively, to her body. Resting her chin on her knees ad closing her eyes, she didn't notice when someone came to stand nearby her.

"And just what do you think you're doing Miss. Gunner?" came that familiar cold voice.

She gasped and looked up to see none other than her black clad Potions Professor. "Professor Snape… I… I'm sorry, I felt ill and overwhelmed by all the other students. I needed to get somewhere by myself quickly," she said nervously, looking up at him from beneath her dark fringe of bangs.

"I don't recall you asking for permission to leave the classroom, Miss. Gunner."

She looked up at him nervously. "I'm sorry…" she whispered finally, knowing anything else she said would be useless against a cold teacher such as Snape.

He looked down his large nose at her with his cold unmerciful stare, then turned to go back to class.

She looked up at him in surprise, sitting up and watching him go. However, just before he turned the corner, he told her one thing.

"Detention tonight with me, Miss. Gunner."

Her heart sank and she slumped back against the wall. Of course he wouldn't take pity on the quiet little girl in his class. Why would he? He was after all one of the cruellest and uncaring teachers Hogwarts had in it's faculty.

She rested her head back against the wall, figuring if she already had earned herself a detention she was in no hurry to return at that exact moment. Especially since now she really did feel a bit light headed.

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After all her classes were finished, Lilia headed back down to the dungeons in order to serve her detention to Professor Snape that evening. She only hoped that she would make it back in time for dinner.

She knocked lightly on the dungeon door and then pushed it open, stepping inside and closing it behind her. Looking around, she noticed no one was there and wondered if perhaps Snape meant for her to have detention after dinner that evening? She swallowed, walking towards the front of the now empty classroom and looked around. She noticed something glint on the floor, tilting her head and leaned down to pick it up, wincing when it pricked her finger. She picked it up carefully this time and sighed, seeing it was one of the glass shards from the broken glass container that morning during potions class. She still wondered how someone as collected as Snape could have dropped it though.

She brought the finger to her lips and sucked on the bead of blood forming there.

"Foolish girl, haven't you ever been taught not to touch glass before?" Snape growled slightly from behind her, causing her to jump.

"Ah! I'm sorry, I didn't think it was glass at first, Professor."

Snape stepped up the two raised stairs to the front of his desk and leaned his hips slightly against it, looking at her. He then held out his hand to her.

She blinked, looking down at his hand quizzically and then up at him in confused.

He rolled his eyes. "The shard, Miss. Gunner, give it to me so I may dispose of it," he said coldly.

"Oh, right," she said and held it out to him, dropping it into his hand. She was surprised how warm his palm was when her fingers grazed his white skin. Pulling away, she looked down, then looked around at the empty classroom, then back up at him. "In what way will I be serving detention tonight, Professor?" she asked him quietly.

He looked at her for a moment, then went to throw away the shard of glass calmly. When he returned to her, he crossed his arms, his cold dark eyes practically boring holes into her skin where they looked. "Why did you feel it necessary to abandon your classmates this morning and take off down the hall without any permission?" he asked her instead.

She frowned, looking at him in question, then thought about it. "I… I felt a bit light headed is all…" she said. "Quinn was being too close and I felt overwhelmed by him and just being surrounded by the other students so I excused myself and left to be alone for a few minutes," she said, not faltering in her words.

"Is Mr. Prewett being a bother to you, Miss. Gunner?" he asked her calmly.

She looked up at him, wondering why he would even pretend to care and swallowed. "No sir…" she said, "We're merely friends. He was just talking so much and I had already felt a tad ill before class had begun this morning," she said.

Snape looked down the bridge of his nose at her calculatingly, and then turned and picked up a box of folders, setting it down on one of the desks at the front of the class. "You will sort through these files for any damage. If there is any, you will rewrite them on fresh paper without the use of magic until this box is completed. Understood, Miss. Gunner?"

She looked bewildered at the large box and swallowed, nodding. "Yes sir," she said, walking over to the desk and sat down, pulling out the first file and began to go through it while Snape assumed his seat at his own desk, marking what appeared to be assignments from one of the upper year classes.

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Snape sat at his desk that evening, going over the potions essays he'd assigned to his fourth year Potions students when he looked up to see Lilia wincing and trying to crack her wrist. He glanced at the clock, seeing they had been cooped up in the room for an hour and a half now. He then looked to see she had gotten a little over halfway through the box.

"Perhaps your wrist bothering you will teach you not to pardon yourself from my class whenever you feel like it, Miss. Gunner," he said calmly, reading over something on one of the essays and making a note on the parchment.

She looked at him silently and then looked down, grasping the quill and resumed her punishment.

Snape watched her for a moment and then set down his quill near the parchment. "Do you get enough sleep at night, Miss. Gunner?" he asked her.

She looked up at him quietly, her eyes questioning why he was asking her something so utterly random.

"You look tired all the time, as a Professor at this school I must employ the importance of sleep on all my students. I wouldn't want Slytherin to earn a bad rep because one foolish girl is deciding she can avoid sleep in order to do whatever she pleases," he said.

She swallowed and looked at him in disbelief. "I do get enough sleep at night, Professor. I am merely feeling a little ill today, that is all," she said.

"You're a terrible liar, Miss. Gunner," he said, staring at her intensely.

She looked back at him, swallowing. "What proof do you have that I am lying?" she asked.

"Because ever since you came to this class at the beginning of term, you have looked the same way. You have a vacant expression in your eyes as though you are not entirely present, Miss. Gunner. That, to me as a professor, is an alarming thing to see," he said.

She looked back at him, a frown forming upon her brow. "Why are you taking such an enormous interest in the way I appear when in class, Professor?" she asked. "Has it never occurred to you that I might just not enjoy Potions class like most of the other Slytherins?" she asked him bluntly.

Snape narrowed his eyes at her. "Don't be cheek with me, dear. 10 points from Slytherin house thanks to your quick mouth, and detention for the rest of the week," he said firmly.

She looked at him icily, picking up her quill.

Snape looked down at the parchment and swore under his breath, seeing the quill had left a small stain on the right side. He picked it up and used his wand to clear away the spill.

Lilia glanced up at him from under her bangs and then went back to replacing any damaged records.

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When she finished with the box, she looked up to see it was already a little after 8pm at night. She sighed, feeling her stomach churn, wanting desperately to eat something. She rubbed her tired eyes and stood up, moving to pick up the box of newly replaced files.

"Leave it," came Snape's firm tone, glancing up at the dark haired girl and waving his hand away at her. "You've done what I asked you to, you may go to bed now."

She looked at him and then turned to go to the door. "Goodnight, Professor…" she said and turned down the hallway to go.

As she walked, she looked up in time to see the Gryffindor prefect headed her way.

"You there!" he exclaimed and pointed at her, as if there was someone else in the hall to be mixed up with. "It's past 8 pm. You don't have authorization to be in the halls at this hour," he said haughtily. "I should report you," he said.

"There will be no need for such action," Snape said from behind Lilia suddenly. "The girl was serving detention in my dungeon and I will escort her back to the dormitories to avoid any more confusion," he said, daring the prefect to say anything about it.

He looked up at Snape and then nodded, stepping out of the way as Lilia looked up at him, then up at Snape curiously.

Together, they turned down one of the corridors heading towards the stairwell.

Lilia stepped out onto the platform at the top of one of the stairs and began to walk down it, Snape following silently behind her like some ominous shadow. "I can find my way from here, Professor…" she said.

"I have no doubt that you can, Miss. Gunner, however, I would like to avoid you getting into trouble with the other house prefects merely because you took so long to finish your detention this evening," he said.

She glared up at him over her shoulder, sorely tempted to inform him if he hadn't given her such an enormous and damaged box she would have finished earlier. However, the audible growl from her stomach cut her off and she blushed in embarrassment at such un lady-like sounds.

Snape glanced down at the young girl as they turned to walk down another hallway. "Hungry, are we?"

She looked up at him and frowned. "No," she said quietly, trying to walk a little faster so he could go away, but his strides were long and steady while she had to walk faster already just to keep pace at his side. No doubt the height difference did that.

At last they reached the Slytherin common room and she spoke the password to get through the door. She stepped inside and walked in, expecting to hear the door of the common room shut, but instead heard the whisper of a cloak along the carpet. She turned and looked up to see Snape standing behind her and she raised a finely arched brow at his actions.

He looked around, then produced a chocolate frog from his pocket, holding it out to her. "I suppose me supplying you with sugar before bed isn't the wisest idea, but I figured you looked unaccustomed to detention and would more than likely be missing dinner tonight," he said.

She was a little startled by the gesture, but cautiously reached out and took the small packet from him, looking up at him, waiting for him to sneer at her or snatch it back or something. "Thankyou, professor."

He turned to go then. "Don't expect special treatment at every detention, Miss. Gunner. You best be prepared for tomorrow evenings detention more so than you were tonight," he said, the common room door closing behind him as he disappeared back down the hallway.

She looked at the back of the common room door and then down at the chocolate frog package in her hands. Carefully unwrapping it, she headed up to her dormitory so she could get some sleep before yet another early morning and possibly confusing evening with her head of house.

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(( Yay! New chapter the next day! Not a bad start I'd say. I think I said this in the previous chapter. I would like to update atleast three times a week, but you know what? I want to try going for a chapter a night if I can. Some days I might be busy with work, but I will still try. There might be days when I upload two or three chapters in a day even! And then there might be a day when I upload nothing. Brain farts DO happen people. Just bear with me if I don't have an idea in a day, but I can promise I will try my hardest. I won't even begin another fan fic until this one is done if I ever choose to complete it somewhere. Anyways, please review! I love hearing what you all think. Thanks! And, I won't have any M-rated content JUST yet ;) I wanna stay true to Snape's cold character, hence why I said it's rated M for LATER chapters. Anyways, please read, review and enjoy!

-ChoMomo ))


	3. The Triwizard Tournament

(( Hooray, yet another chapter for this fan fic! How very exciting -w- I hope that all my readers and subscribers are enjoying the story so far (even though there are only 3 chapters up now -w-) Now, in this chapter you WILL realize that Lilia Gunner is in fact a year younger than Harry Potter and the rest of his troup, seeing as the Tri Wizard tournament is being brought up and that whole thing obviously if we remember occurred in year 4 for Harry :P Anywho! Please enjoy Chapter 3 of Other Evils in this World :D I look forward to reviews!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the affiliated works. You should all know this! That wonderful bunch and world of magic belongs to none other than the imaginative writing genius, J.K. Rowling! My applause to her for creating such a fantastical world which shaped my childhood and what I enjoy today! ))

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Lilia wrinkled her nose in distaste as she picked up yet another rotten flobberworm. She didn't think that she could possibly have gotten herself a worse detention than this one. Not only were they foul creatures to smell and look at, but Snape had denied her the privilege of using any protective gloves to avoid touching the mucus let alone the ugly bugs themselves, with her bare hands.

"Be grateful, Miss. Gunner. I could have had you cleaning out the bedpans in the hospital wing tonight," Snape said from up at his desk.

She glanced up at him and narrowed her eyes slightly in irritation at him, picking up another flobberworm.

By the time she was finished, any hunger she might have normally developed for dinner that evening was diminished by the disgusting mucus coating her small hands.

She stood once finished and looked at Snape, hoping he would atleast be courteous enough to turn on the tap so she could rinse off her hands.

Of course he merely ignored her little problem and continued marking his students papers.

She looked at him and then went to the basin, reaching for the tap and turned it, making sure to get the mucus well onto the tap knob and washed off her hands. She then grabbed what part wasn't coated with mucus and turned it as much as she could so the water would stop flowing and turned to leave.

"Clean it up, Miss. Gunner. I will not stand to have you soiling any area of my classroom," said Snape, without even looking in her direction.

She stopped and sighed, reluctantly going back to the sink basin and washed off the tap knobs, then brought over the sorted flobberworms, putting them onto Snape's desk and looked at him calmly. "I've finished my punishment for tonight. Goodnight Professor Snape," she said, turning to go.

He watched her exit the classroom and then glanced at the flobberworms placed in separate buckets upon his desk. How foul.

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Lilia left the potions dungeon feeling somewhat at ease now that she was finished, and found that somehow hunger had snuck up on her again. She headed to the Great Hall and found a seat near the end of the table by herself and was ready for tonight's dinner, which as always, would be delicious.

When the food appeared, Lilia reached for several of her favourite items, such as the gravy chips and chicken leg. This was one thing she, among everyone else always adored about Hogwarts of course; the food was divine in itself.

About halfway through dinner, Albus Dumbledore stood from his chair and tilted his head in an expectant way while he raised a hand to gather everyone's attention, while Professor McGonagall chimed a fork against her now empty glass.

In a matter of moments, the dining students had quieted down and turned to look up at the teachers desks. Lilia didn't fail to notice that Snape was already seated there.

Dumbledore moved to stand at the podium near the front of the hall and began to speak. "I'd like to make an announcement. This castle will not only be your home this year, but home to some very special guests as well," he stated.

That was when Filch came in and began to run in an odd manner towards Dumbledore.

Lilia, among the other students wondered why he was in such a hurry to reach their headmaster and several students began whispering and muttering amongst themselves in curiosity.

"You see Hogwarts has been chosen," he continued, cut off when Filch met him at his side and whispered something to the Headmaster.

Lilia's green eyes looked around at the other students as they spoke, then up at Dumbledore again when Filch moved away and ran back to the entrance after Dumbledore whispered back with something else.

He then resumed his post at the small podium and continued. "So, Hogwarts has been chosen to host a legendary event. The Triwizard Tournament."

Immediately, there was an excited murmur among the students over this news. Lilia curiously remained listening, wanting to know just what this event was.

Dumbledore continued his speech. "Now for those of you who don't know, The Triwizard Tournament brings together three schools for a series of magical contests. From each school a student is selected to compete. Let me be clear, if chosen.. You stand alone," he said seriously, several students piping down at this and looking curiously at Dumbledore as well. "And trust me when I say, these contests are not for the faint heart. But more on that later," he added. "For now, please join me in welcoming the lovely ladies ofBeauxbatons Academy of Magic, and their Headmistress, Madame Maxime," he said proudly just as the doors to the Great Hall opened to let in a flock of tall, well built young women who seemed to flutter gracefully to the front of the hall with a gracious sigh here and there for effect.

Lilia, among several other girls no doubt, rolled her eyes and rested her chin in her palm upon the table, watching those perfect girls make their way to the front of the hall in a perfectly poise and practiced manner. With a bow, the girls stood together at the front while boys all over the hall exploded with applause, cheers and whistles at the newcomers and their tall Headmistress.

Dumbledore then assumed his position at the front of the hall yet again and raised his arms, inviting silence among the students. "And now our friends from the North. Please greet the proud sons of Durmstrang and their High Master Igor Karkaroff."

With that, the doors opened yet again to let in a strong looking group of young men who carried large staffs which they used to tap forcefully against the ground, sparks emanating from the bases of each one while they headed towards the front of the hall, doing their own sort of chant and acrobatics while their High Master powerfully strode to the front of the hall to unite Victor Krum and himself with the rest of their selected students.

Lilia watched as they assumed their designated spot at the front, not noticing the distasteful look upon Snape's face while they moved to position; much more interested in the strong and handsome appearance of the male guests as they filed in order at the front of the hall near the females.

"Albus," came Karkaroff's voice as he strode to embrace his old friend, or so it looked that ay to the student population as they applauded the second group to have arrived.

With that, dinner was finished and the students sat expectantly to hear more as Dumbledore made his way to the front of the podium again. "Your attention please!" he called out over the excited conversations amongst the students in their houses. When everyone had quieted down, Dumbledore continued. "I would like to say a few words. Eternal glory; that is what awaits the student who wins The Triwizard Tournament," he said powerfully, holding the Hogwarts students at full attention. "But to do this, that student must survive three tasks. Three, extremely dangerous tasks," he said, his tone enforcing these were not tasks to be taken lightly by those who entered of course. "For this reason, the Ministry have seen fit to impose a new rule. To explain all this, we have the head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, Mr. Bartemius Crouch."

Lilia noticed there was movement to the left of the teacher's tables when suddenly there was an alarming flash of lightning and thunder crashing around them, alarming the students since it came from the bewitched ceiling of the Great Hall.

Suddenly, students were screaming, but Lilia was watching the man who suddenly pulled out his wand and shot some sort of spell into the false sky and calmed it, causing quite the stirrup amongst the students as they all began to notice him and his odd appearance.

Everyone watched as he approached the front of the hall and reached out to shake hands with Dumbledore who seemed to welcome him with relief.

Lilia watched curiously while he drank something from a flask of sorts he had on him, turning away as he did so for a moment. She frowned, finding that a bit odd behaviour.

Suddenly, Mr. Crouch stood before the Hogwarts students and began to speak in a loud clear voice. "After due consideration, the Ministry has concluded that for their own safety, no student under the age of seventeen shall be allowed to put forth their name for The Triwizard Tournament. This decision is final!" he said firmly over the loud outraged exclamations from the students.

Lilia watched quietly while the other students expressed their outrage at this while Mr. Crouch looked on uncomfortably in her opinion. Luckily, Dumbledore stepped forward and demanded silence from the school.

Once everyone was quieted again, he moved to reveal the Goblet of Fire, which in fact stood tall and proud, a blue flame atop its rim.

"The Goblet of Fire," Dumbledore said in a loud voice, clarifying what many of the students were thinking. "Anyone wishing to submit themselves for the tournament, merely write their name upon a piece of parchment, and throw it in the flame before this hour on Thursday night. Do not do so lightly," he said, eyeing the students carefully. "If chosen, there's no turning back," he said ominously, sending a chill up Lilia's spine.

She only wondered what sorts of tasks the students chosen would have to do.

"As from this moment," Dumbledore continued, "The Triwizard Tournament has begun."

Lilia looked on in awe of that brilliant blue flame while the students began to talk amongst themselves of who would be competing. She too found herself caught up in the excitement of it all, wondering who would be selected out of all of Hogwarts to compete in representation of their school.

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That night, Snape lay in bed, scratching the dark mark upon his forearm absentmindedly as he thought about the upcoming Triward Tournament. The moment those boys from Durmstrang had entered the hall his gaze had involuntarily gone to that… girl. Lilia. He frowned at the brief memory of interest on her face when those infernal boys had come in, doing some ridiculous showy routine.

Of course Lilia was like most girls in that sense. She saw a muscular handsome man and instantly grew interested. He knew that. So why did he despise those boys simply because she had looked at them in that _way_? Why was her interest in them making him so… irritated?

He glanced down and scowled seeing he'd scratched through the skin upon his forearm which was now raw and just beginning to bleed a little. He scowled as he got up from his bed and went to wash his fingers in his sink, then the scratch to stop any irritation that might render him unable to sleep right now.

He climbed into bed and lay there, staring at the ceiling in the dark finally and frowned. Thoughts of that infernal child kept creeping up in his mind and he didn't like it one bit. He was a fool to be interested in what she did or thought. She was nothing to him. Nothing but a student.

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Snape stood at the front of the class, drumming his fingers along his desk the following morning, his stone cold face watching the class silently. She was late. Five minutes late already, coming up on six very quickly.

"Professor, class has begun," said one of the students from somewhere in the middle of the dungeon which doubled as their potions classroom.

"Quiet, boy. I will begin class when I see fit," he snapped coldly.

The students looked at Snape unsure of what was stopping him from teaching and whispered amongst themselves, feeling a bit uncertain about how to go about in front of their potions professor.

At last Snape somewhat reluctantly gave up waiting for a certain someone to come to class and began his lesson, not failing to notice that a certain Mr. Prewett was not present either.

About twenty minutes into the class, Quinn cautiously opened the door, peeking in and closing it behind him while Snape was turned slightly away, giving a lecture on the importance of how to properly handle a flobberworm when making potions. He quietly pulled out a chair and sat down in it, nodding to a few of his comrades while he opened up his book and got out his ink and quill.

"How nice of you to join us, Mr. Prewett," Snape said almost venomously as he turned to look at the young boy who now looked petrified to have been caught sneaking in. "And just where, might I ask is your little girlfriend, this morning?" he continued, his dark stare boring venomously into him.

"Er… Miss. Gunner is not quite herself today. She said she will try to make it for detention this evening and apologizes for missing class today," he said, feeling very uncomfortable with everyone watching him while Snape stared him down.

"Is that so..?" Snape asked coldly. Somewhere deep down he'd half hoped Quinn would deny being Lilia's boyfriend, however this didn't seem to be the case, much to his involuntary annoyance.

"Tell Miss. Gunner I expect her to be here tonight for detention even if her head has swelled to two sizes its usual appearance and she has slugs crawling out of her ears," he said.

Quinn swallowed and then nodded, too stumped to say anything as everyone returned to paying attention to their darkly clad Potions Professor.

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That evening, Lilia knocked on the dungeon door and moved to open the door to find it locked. She looked up at it in confusion, wondering if perhaps she was unfortunate enough to get it stuck so she tried it again. When there was no luck she looked at the door again and sighed, turned around to go back to her room, still feeling rather ill when she gasped, startled to see Professor Snape lurking right behind her.

She stepped back into the door, looking up at him wide eyed and clutched her chest. "You startled me, Professor," she said.

Snape rolled his eyes and moved to unlock the door. "Clearly…" he muttered and went inside, not even holding the door for her as he strode over to his desk. "Tonight, I will be having you disembowel a bucket of horned toads for my upper year class to use in their potions class tomorrow," he said firmly.

Lilia looked extremely unenthused by this idea, subconsciously reaching for her stomach area and rubbing it slightly.

Snape looked at her and then down at her small pale hand upon her abdomen, raising a brow. "Something wrong. Miss. Gunner. You don't agree with my method of punishment?" he said, daring her to say something about it.

She looked up at him almost helplessly and there was a moment for Snape when he nearly let down his cold demeanour, wondering if there really was something wrong. "No sir…" she said quietly, walking quietly past him towards the bucket. He watched her silently, then nodded and went to do something else while she served her detention there.

Lilia assumed her usual seat at the front of the classroom and began her work, slowly and without any enthusiasm. After all, what normal student could possibly take pleasure from disembowelling a bucket of horned toads? Or any creature for that matter.

After Lilia finished disembowelling them, she stood, looking paler than usual as she brought her work to Snape, silently setting it down upon the counter to the side of the class.

"Miss. Gunner, your boyfriend, Mr. Pewett informed me today that you were too ill to attend class. Is this the case? Or did you merely think you were entitled to a day off whenever you felt like it?" he asked her.

She looked over her shoulder at him while she washed the knife she'd used as well as her hands. "He is not my boyfriend, sir," she informed him before anything else, causing a foreign feeling of mild relief to coarse through Snape's body. "And I was in fact ill. My stomach was being… disagreeable this morning and I could barely bring myself to get out of bed. I haven't eaten anything yet today except for a small handful of 'Bertie Mott's Every Flavour Beans'," she explained. "I know you would only give me more detentions if I did not come to this one, so I forced myself to arrive. If that is all the questions you have for me Professor then I would please like to go lay down," she said.

Snape looked at her curiously, his eyes narrowing suspiciously as he watched her go. "I expect you to attend class tomorrow, Miss. Gunner. Detention as well," he said seriously.

She looked over at him as she opened the door and nodded. "Yes sir. I will try to make it for tomorrow," she said, turning to go, the heavy wooden door closing behind her.

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(( Hooray! Day 3 and Chapter 3! :D I feel so accomplished haha :D I hope that I'm still sticking to Snape's character in the books. See, I feel that because he's cold on the outside his thoughts toward Lilia MIGHT not deviate too far from his character because he doesn't act on them or voice those opinions :P He stills talks and looks at people like his usual pompous self :P SO I hope you all like it so far :D Like I said, I'm gonna try to stick as close as I possibly can to Snape's character in the books/movies ^_^ And I do not claim any rights over Dumbledore's and Crouch's dialogue! THAT was taken from the movie just so you're not all "Omigod! You copied! :O" I acknowledge that is not MY wording lol, I just wanted people to read it the way it was, but through Lilia's point of view :D I thought that would be pretty nifty ^w^ Anywho :D Please review, I love hearing what you all think J Happy Reading! :D ))


	4. Selections

(( Huzzah! Yet another chapter xD Like I said :P I will try to go for at LEAST a chapter a day :P If not, more ;) As long as my miniscule ( -_- ) work schedule allows me to, I will be sitting here typing away because I… am in love with Severus Snape -w- and thus… am VEDDY eager to keep typing away haha :D Again, please comment and review ^w^ I love love LOVE hearing from you all :D Thanks a bazillimillion! XD

DISCLAIMER: I do not unfortunately own Severus Snape or any of the Harry Potter characters or creatures TT_TT J.K. Rowling does, and thus, is one of my literary idols and forever will be for creating such an inspiration and diverse world 3 I love you! :D I can only hope that my fan fic does enough justice to your character(s) w ))

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Lilia arrived just as the bell rang for students to be in their classes at the according time that afternoon. She sighed, sitting down in her seat at the back of the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom and pulled out her books, awaiting Professor Moody's arrival.

It was most unusual for the students to be there before the professor, so of course everyone was murmuring and looking around curiously. That was when Snape entered the classroom.

Immediately, there was a groan of despair that rippled through the majority of the classroom, but oddly, Lilia felt her stomach flip oddly at the sight of him now as he shut the window shutters with a flick of his wand and assumed his position at the front of the classroom, his back rigid and his face as stoic as ever as he looked over the classroom the same way he always did in Potions, right before this class.

"Turn to page two hundred and forty seven," Snape commanded, eyeing the class, his gaze falling upon Lilia and lingering for a moment longer than was necessary, his face continuing to turn a few millimetres more, his gaze finally tearing away to inspect the rest of the students.

"Professor, where is Professor Moody today?" asked one of the third year Griffindors. Ginny Weasley, Lilia recognized her. Harry Potter's friend's sister. It was obvious enough with the red hair.

"Mr. Moody requires a day to tend to his own business. He asked me to fill in for him and," he quirked his head, looking at Ginny with a narrowed gaze, "here I stand… now… page two hundred and forty seven…" he repeated precisely and in a dangerously calm voice, his fingers lacing together as he leaned against the front desk, watching the classroom for any disobedience or students simply not paying attention.

Everyone obediently turned to the required page and Snape began his lesson, speaking clearly and commandingly. Though, for the majority of the lesson all anyone could really focus on was who they thought would be entering The Triwizard Tournament. Of course, this got on Snape's nerves and he demanded that everyone focus and pay attention to the lesson at hand or the next person to even mention The Triwizard Tournament would be serving a week of detention with him.

'Rather friendly there with those detentions…' Lilia thought to herself, resting her chin in her hand as she listened to Snape's lesson on vampires and how to repel them if ever at close hand with one alone.

After class, Lilia gathered her books and stood up to go, walking alongside one of the girls she had partnered up with during the lesson to go over the assignment and talk to.

On the way out, she glanced up to look at Snape who stood near the door, and met her eyes. "I see you're feeling less ill today, Miss. Gunner. I'm assuming your illness has come and gone overnight then?"

She met his gaze and nodded. "Not entirely, but I am able to attend classes today. I'll be in attendance for detention tonight as well, Professor," she said calmly.

He nodded. "I'll be waiting with your according punishment," he said dryly, watching as she passed by to continue to her final class that afternoon.

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"You will be pickling rats brains tonight until I am pleased with what you've accomplished, Miss. Gunner," Snape said as Lilia followed him to a designated area where she could do as she was instructed to that evening in detention.

"How delightful…" she muttered somewhat sarcastically under her breath.

Snape turned and looked at her with a slight frown and came to stand alarmingly close to her, leaning close. "Does this form of detention not please you, Miss. Gunner?" he sneered, meeting her gaze directly, dark eyes staring right back into deep emerald green ones.

Lilia looked at her Potions Professor in shock of being so discomfortingly close to her and swallowed, unsure of what to say to him, wanting to be cheeky in some way or say what she really thought of these tedious detentions, but found it very hard to do when he was practically breathing into her face.

"Perhaps if you obeyed the rules better than you do, you wouldn't be stuck here tonight as well as for the next three days left in this week," he informed her coldly, standing up straight and turned to go to his desk, another mass of parchment papers - essays no doubt - piled atop his desk, ready to be marked. "Don't burn anything," he said simply, taking a seat without glancing at her.

She looked at him wide eyed, swallowing, alarmed at having been so close to someone, let alone her own professor.

Without saying anything, she turned and began her distasteful job for the evening.

Once finished, Lilia washed her hands off and informed Snape she was finished, heading to the door which by now had practically become an image bored into her mind, seeing it daily now.

"Only three more days of detention, Miss. Gunner. No need for the dreary expression," he said from his desk, writing something on one of the parchments.

Lilia looked over at him as she stepped out of the room and frowned while she walked. Had Severus Snape, one of the coldest and meanest men in the world told her to perk up in some way? Why on earth would he ever say something so… unlike himself to her? She shook her head, deciding it was a useless thing to trouble herself with and headed up to dinner.

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The Great Hall was abuzz with talk about The Triwizard Tournament of course. Lilia even got involved with a few girls she had come to know in Herbology on their opinions of who would be selected.

"I think it will be a Slytherin. What other house could possibly be chosen to represent Hogwarts in such an important event, after all?" said Ariel Mulpepper, one of the girls in fourth year who knew Lilia's friend Cimbeline Cuffe.

"Guaranteed it will be one of those ungrateful Gryffindors," said Dawn Pyrites, the girl whom Lilia had paired up with during Defence Against the Dark Arts that afternoon. At first glance, Lilia had been unsure how pairing up with Dawn would work out, what with her crimson red waves and intensely dark eyes and sharp brows; but once they'd begun speaking, Lilia felt at ease around her and didn't mind in the least bit about working together on their assignment. Either way, Dawn Pyrites was a large improvement over that lost dog, Quinn Pewett, in Lilia's opinion. He was just far too smothering for her liking even though they barely spoke or knew one another. "They always get everything since that blasted Potter came to this school. I'll bet they've rigged it to even let Potter win," she rolled her eyes.

"He isn't over seventeen, Dawn. He can't even enter," Ariel pointed out.

Dawn shrugged and rolled her eyes. "Either way, he'll get into it somehow. He gets to do all the fun stuff around here. Just you wait, it'll happen," she said, convinced of her opinion.

"Who do you think will be picked, Lilia?" asked Ariel, turning to the dark haired girl who hadn't spoken about her opinion yet.

Lilia looked up from her now empty dinner plate, which hadn't been filled with much to begin with, and shrugged. "No idea. Though I suppose Dawn is most correct. I wouldn't be the least surprised if Potter was selected," she said with a mild shrug.

Ariel shook her head, smirking. "Ugh, you two," she laughed softly and went back to eating while her and Dawn argued over their logics behind the slection for Hogwarts.

After Lilia finished eating, she excused herself, having had her fill even though it wasn't much and proceeded back to the Slytherin common room, then to her dormitory to get some sleep.

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That evening, Snape sat in his private study, just finishing up marking some papers. He put them off to the side once finished and sighed, running a hand through his shaggy black hair, closing his eyes as he thought back to what had occurred earlier that evening between him and Lilia in detention.

He'd been so close, and had seen immediately that it alarmed her. He frowned at the thought, wondering how his mere presence close to her could make her look so much like a trapped animal who just might claw right through him to get away if given an opportunity. He wondered what could cause a 13 year old child to look and act in such a way. Perhaps she had never been in such close proximity to another person before, or so he would have thought, but her reaction would have merely been to step away from him or glare and tell him to move away. Instead of that she'd looked nearly petrified. Perhaps she herself didn't notice this form of reaction, but he of course had, and it unsettled him somewhere deep inside for reasons he could not fathom.

He stood from his desk and walked over to his bed, sitting on the edge of it and frowned as he continued to think about her. He suddenly came to the realization he was inwardly displaying concern for one of his students. He would never feel concern for any of the students in the Hogwarts student population, yet just one look from those soulless green eyes of hers and he grew curious and worried as to what might have happened to her to make her look that way or react the way she did to certain situations.

Since the start of term, he had noticed her and found that even when with friends, or people she was assigned to work with, she never smiled. Not once had he seen that girl laugh or smile. He would have thought this weird, but found that he never smiled either, so instead he wondered what would lead a thirteen year old to look at the world through such a bleak and uncaring gaze. He had his reasons, so what were hers? Perhaps the answer was simply that she didn't get enough sleep at night, and merely lied to him over her sleep patterns, but something in his gut told him there was far more to that girl than first appearances let on.

He knew he couldn't simply ask her however, somehow knowing she wasn't the type who easily opened up to people. From the way he could see her react around other students, he could see she didn't like people very much and preferred for them to leave her alone and not bother her. If she didn't open up to students why would she ever open up to him? Simple; she wouldn't. He knew that, but something about her just drew him to her.

He finally sighed and lay down, turning out the light and draped his arm over his eyes, closing them and let out a groan of frustration. "Why did that foolish girl ever have to make herself known to me…?" he muttered in distaste, not looking forward to seeing her again tomorrow morning in class and then again at detention.

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"Sit down," said Dumbledore as the students filed to their according house tables in the Great Hall.

Lilia had just made it in time from her final detention with Snape and sat with Dawn, probably the only person she could at least stand for the time being as everyone took their seats, obeying their Headmaster diligently.

"Now the moment you've all been waiting for, the champion selection," he said and raised his hand to dim the lights in the hall. Approcahing the goblet with a quivering hand, Dumbledore said nothing as he backed away quietly, watching the blue flame in the now dim lighted hall. Suddenlt it turned a deep red color and spat out a piece of parchment into the air, the small piece falling until Dumbledore quickly snatched it from the air and turned it over to read it. "The Durmstrang champion is Victor Krum," he announced, eliciting cheers from the boys of the institute from the North and gracious applause from the Hogwarts students. After shaking hands with Dumbledore, Victor Krum left to where he was required. Suddenly the flame spat out a second piece of parchment and Dumbledore caught it as well, looking over the scorched piece of paper. "The champion for Beauxbatons… is Fleur Delacour," he announced, the Beauxbatons table bursting into excited cheers for their champion while Hogwarts students clapped again politely.

Lilia turned to watch as the tall, slim blonde made her way to Dumbledore to shake his hand and proceed in the same direction as Krum had gone. Atlast the goblet spat out a third parchment piece, her and Dawn especially watching ad Dumbledore read it.

"The Hogwarts champion, Cedric Diggory," Dumbledore announced.

Dawn let out an exasperated breath and sunk back into her seat, glaring at the smirking Ariel. "Oh shut up, don't you dare ever bring this up again or I swear I'll wipe that smirk off in the most nasty way I can," she said glumly, crossing her arms.

Lilia glanced at Dawn and then at Dumbledore as he spoke out loudly over the loud cheers of Hogwarts school. "Atleast, we have our champions!" he announced. "But in the end, only one will go down in history. Only one will hoist this chalice of champions, this vessel of victory. The Triwizard Cup!" Dumbledore exclaimed, turning around to point as the cloth atop the cup was removed to reveal a beautiful goblet of sorts to the students still in the hall.

The students burst into cheers in excitement, in awe of the prize to be awarded to only one student among the three selected.

Lilia clapped mechanically along with the students but her claps slowed when she saw Snape stepping forward with an utterly curious expression on his face. She followed his gaze to the goblet of fire which burst forth a fourth piece of paper in the most brilliant red flame yet. So bright, several students sitting closer had to cover their eyes with their arms from the light of it.

Dumbledore approached the fluttering piece of paper and grasped it from the air, reading it curiously as everyone went silent and watched, wondering what it said.

Lilia leaned forward very slightly, hearing Dumbledore mutter a name to himself. He then lifted his head and looked around.

"Harry Potter," he called out, everyone turning right away in their seats to look for Harry wherever he was sitting. "Harry Potter!" Dumbledore shouted in a demanding way, most unlike his usual composed self.

Lilia turned to follow the gaze of several students who had turned to follow a sign of movement near the back of the hall. Harry Potter was rising from his seat.

He looked as shocked as Dumbledore and the rest of the population as he approached the headmaster and took the parchment from him when Dumbledore extended it to him. "Cheater!" someone called out at the boy who nervously and silently went to wherever the champions had gone to.

Ariel swallowed and then glanced at Dawn who now wore a very large self satisfied smirk upon her face.

Lilia glanced at the two whom she sat with, realizing Dawn really had been right in her assumption.

"I do believe I must say 'I told you so'", she chuckled.

Ariel rolled her eyes. "Oh stop smirking. Just because you were right doesn't mean you should be so thrilled. It's still not a Slytherin that was picked for the tournament," she pointed out acidly, crossing her arms with a dissatisfied huff.

Lilia looked between the two of them wearily, then glanced up to where the teachers had gathered to deliberate and then headed through a door near the front of the hall where The Triwizard Champions had gone thorugh, obviously in order to find out how Harry Potter had been accepted by the goblet to compete in the upcoming events.

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(( HELL yes! Chapter 4 :D I feel so achieved right now -w- Yes, I took some more lines from the movie because I wanted to stay true to the original dialogue, and I don't have the book xD SO I just went through the movie and kept pausing and playing, capturing every word that was important to the chapter yet again ;) I'm so dedicated huh? LOL not really, I just have no life xD

ANYWHOOO I REALLY hope this chapter was good in your opinions :D I stayed a teensie bit longer on Snape's thought before bed so hooray for that. I'll have chapter 5 up and ready soon enough ;) Already got some plans in store for that :D Gonna be a bit of a time skip, but hey xD It's essential to skip over boring everyday things that go on in the school haha :D Anyways, keep an eye out, review and enjoy :D ))


	5. The Yule Ball

(( How freaking awesome is this! ANOTHER chapter! :P Two in one day? Not bad, not bad ;) Haha, So like I said, this is almost a month after the triwizard champions have been selected, so based on timetables I read, it should be late November when this occurs J Please enjoy!

DISCLAIMER (Spoiler Alert for those not finished the series xD): I unfortunately do not own Harry Potter. If I did, Severus Snape wouldn't have died TT_TT ))

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Lilia winced as she watched Cedric dodge the blast of fire thrown into his face. She bit her lower lip, not in worry over the boy, but just at the tension building up as he narrowly avoided death in the face of a dragon.

The dog Cedric had turned from a rock in order to distract the dragon was barking considerably still. This caused the dragon to momentarily be distracted again while Cedric went to retrieve the golden egg from the nest, thus successfully completing the challenge, seeming for the moment to forget about his burned profile judging by the enormous grin on his face when everything was finished and the arena was bursting with cheers.

Up next, was the girl from Beauxbatons. Fleur Delacour, Lilia remembered. She watched the blonde young woman come from the small entrance where Cedric had previously come out through.

At first she seemed a bit delicate and unsure of how to go about ensnaring an egg from a dragon's nest, but as soon as the oversized reptile made its presence known, she enchanted it to sleep and from then on traversed her way up to the dragon's nest in the arena. Of course, it wasn't nearly so boring for the onlookers. The dragon let out a ground rumbling snore and a jet of fire found its way to Delacour's skirt, setting it aflame.

Dawn, seated nearby Lilia burst into laughter along with much of the arena as she watcher Delacour try to put out the flame, eventually doing so, though sniggers and giggles still remained even after she had retrieved her egg and completed the first task.

Then came Victor Krum. Lilia sat up a bit more, knowing his dragon, a Chinese Fireball was a nasty one to be dealing with. She wondered how he would do. He seemed intelligent enough to manoeuvre through the arena below and get his egg, but she wondered what sort of challenge the dragon would pose for him.

He came in through the same entrance the previous two champions had come through and almost instantaneously was greeted by his selected dragon.

The dragon put up quite the fight for Krum, but eventually the Northern student used what Lilia thought she recognized as the Conjunctivitis Charm to blind his dragon and retrieve his egg.

It would have seemed easy enough to get his egg and just win outright, but the dragon ended up stomping around so much it ended up crushing half the eggs in its nest, thus resulting in docked points for Krum, much to Lilia's inner amusement, though she merely watched with a straight face the entire time, save for the occasional wince when fire spewed from a dragon's mouth or one was close to being squashed against the rubble beneath the dragon's feet.

At last, Harry Potter was to come out and attempt to get past the Hungarian Horntail. It was a nasty looking piece of work, and Lilia herself wouldn't have wanted to be down there in the same arena as that overgrown angry lizard.

When he came out, Harry looked around hesitantly, not looking the least bit enthused to be going up against an angry Horntail. Especially without the assistance of anything but his wand.

He was foolish enough to step out without really checking his surroundings, but Lilia figured he knew that as soon as a horned tail smashed into the boulders right next to him.

Immediately the task was begun and Gryffindors as well as other students alike were on the edge of their seats to watch the 14 year old run around, desperate to, for the moment, stay alive within the arena.

Someone yelled out as a reminder to Harry to use his wand from somewhere among the spectators, and in a moment he waved his wand around, shouting out some sort of spell… which didn't really seem to have any effect.

Dawn laughed. "What a ninny! His spell didn't even work!" she said, clearly amused by Potter's predicament, as was - it seemed - Ariel.

Within seconds however, Potter's Firebolt came soaring down from the sky and he seized the moment, flying around, just out of the dragon's grasp, when the binds on it's neck snapped and the Horntail was free to give serious chase.

The Grryfindors looked horrified by this development as Harry did all that he could to stay out of the Horntail's line of fire, the flames just barely missing the young boy when he soared towards the outer limits of the arena and flew over the tops, outside to get away in a moment of desperation. With that little move there, he nearly put the Hogwart's teachers and guests in danger, the Horntail's tail swooping down and tearing through the roof of that area in the arena, demolishing it and barely missing obliterating several people.

Lilia's heart dropped, having noticed Professor Snape was seated there, but was relieved when she saw him sit back up after ducking to the side to avoid getting hit along with other teachers. And of course, there was that same irritated look that he almost always had when dealing with anything Potter-related. It nearly made Lilia smile. Nearly.

The arena quieted when they realized Harry had sped off rather far, the roars of the dragon barely even heard from the arena anymore.

Several people were looking around in confusion, Lilia among them, wondering if Potter was weak enough to get eaten by a dragon in the first task.

There was a loud roar from somewhere far, but a little closer a few minutes later, causing the Gryffindors to look rather uncomfortable at the thought of Harry out there, alone, trying to escape the clutches of a vicious dragon.

Suddenly, Harry appeared over a hilltop, his Firebolt practically sputtering as he struggled to manoeuvre it towards the arena and in the direction of his goal; the golden egg.

He did it. He swooped in and managed to snatch the golden egg, thus completing his task, and the arena bursting into another round of cheers for the final champion having completed his task.

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Snape had only been half watching the tournament from where he sat, his gaze occasionally scanning against his better judgement for a certain green eyed student. When he'd found her amongst the third year Slytherins, he felt slightly elated, but that was short lived when Victor Krum stepped out and she, along with the majority of the other girls leaned forward and sat up a little more to watch the well built, handsome young man duel his way past the Chinese Fireball dragon.

He frowned, watching as he was nearly stomped upon, a slight smirk tugging up on the corners of his lips during the match. However, once Krum had blinded his dragon and retrieved the egg successfully, he was back to frowning, watching as the onlookers were roaring with cheers over the Durmstrang boy. He felt slightly better when his points were deducted due to his dragon stomping over half the nest of eggs. He nearly chuckled at that little incident, though he merely smirked.

Curiously, he glanced at Lilia again, finding her gaze upon him for a moment. He was surprised about that, but her line of sight moved away from him so quickly he couldn't truly say whether she was looking at him, or just around at the other spectators in general. He simply ignored it; no reason to fuss over stupid things like someone catching his eye. Especially a child like her.

When Potter stepped out he took a slight bit more interest in the boy's match, one, because he shouldn't even be in the tournament to begin with and two, for reasons very personal to himself which he would never in his lifetime admit to.

There was an alarming moment when the Horntail escaped its bind and soared after Potter, its tail smashing through the suspended roof and rafters above the professor's seat box, nearly injuring a few people on the way past.

Snape sat up, a most irritated expression upon his face as he brushed off debris from his black cloak, fixing his hair as he straightened up alongside McGonagall and anyone else who had quickly ducked off to the side to avoid the tail of that nasty Hungarian beast.

When everyone was more put together and calmed, he turned to see a pair of green eyes watching the teacher's box in relief when everyone straightened up. Of course, it must have only been concern at the teachers in general. Why even think otherwise?

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The morning after the first task in the tournament, Snape entered the potions dungeon, the class already assumed with third year Slytherins on one side and third year Gryffindors on the other.

"Get out your cauldrons and get the same ingredients from yesterday," he ordered immediately.

"Professor, what did you think of the tournament yesterday?" asked one of the Slytherins from the back of the class.

Snape turned to regard the boy who'd spoken and narrowed his eyes. "I believe I gave you instructions to begin your potion, Mr. Colfe," he said, emphasizing each word carefully like he always did.

The class dropped their gazes as everyone got up to get their things.

"I heard the Gryffindors had one hell of a celebration after. Was quite a scream," said someone from the front while everyone was getting up.

A few people laughed as the Gryffindors glowered at whoever had said it, while Dawn rolled her eyes, coming to stand next to Lilia while they waited to move up to get their ingredients.

"Why are boys always such pee brain morons?" Dawn asked no one in particular, but did glance at Lilia as she said it.

Lilia shrugged, picking up her things and going to her desk again, recoiling inwardly when she saw Quinn taking up a seat next to her.

"Good morning, Lily," he smirked, patting her seat, as if it were some privilege to sit next to him, in _her_ seat nonetheless.

She sat down and moved her stool a little away from him.

"So, this morning when Professor Snape was telling us Slytherins about the Yule ball, before classes and everything, I was wondering…"

"I'm not going," she said, cutting him off before he could even dare to ask her.

He looked at her sceptically. "But, isn't it every girl's desire to attend a dance whenever they can?" he asked her.

She frowned. "Not every girl has such mundane things to worry about," she said coldly.

He looked at her curiously and frowned. "Well… alright then, I suppose Ariel will want to go with me then," he said, thinking it might make Lilia jealous and take back her cold attitude.

"Perhaps she will, you'll have to ask her yourself," she replied quickly, wanting to end the conversation as quickly as possible.

He swallowed and then without another word, turned to his cauldron, setting up his own station, feeling rather uncomfortable suddenly around Lilia.

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Snape glanced up from where he sat writing upon a piece of parchment, a satisfied smirk tugging up at the corners of his mouth, watching Lilia tell Quinn to essentially go away and leave her alone.

He found it amusing how that boy could be foolish enough to think Lilia even liked him the remotest bit. How could she? She was quiet and introverted, preferred to be alone and wasn't a very sociable creature. Like him.

He paused in his writing for a moment and frowned. She was like him. The thought made something in his chest puff out with some sort of unnamed pride, but also recoil inside him at the thought that a thirteen year old student had so much in common with him. He reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose and inhaled a breath, returning to his writing for the time being, choosing to ignore the odd nagging sensation at the back of his mind.

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A few nights later, after the students had had ample time to practice their dances, the Yule Ball began to commence. The four Triwizard Champions made their way into the hall where the décor had been transformed into a winder wonderland of sorts for the occasion.

Lilia stood amongst the crowd inside the hall, clapping mechanically as the champions entered, Fleur in first, followed by Cedric, then Krum and lastly Harry, all four having their dates in tow.

They began to dance and soon everyone was making their way onto the dance floor with a partner.

Lilia had worn a black dress that had a hint of deep blue as an undertone. It was strapless, a corset top with a flowing bottom made out of different layers of fabric. Her hands had lace gloves which reached her wrist, and her hair had been tousled into loose waves which hung down her back and over her shoulders, her short straight cut bangs pinned to the side a little for a touch of elegance with a silver hairpin.

When more and more people began to dance, she managed to evade them and stand watch from the sidelines, simply there to witness a most un-Hogwarts like moment. After all, she might never see another ball in her life. Atleast she should know what all the fuss was about.

It wasn't that Lilia disliked balls or dances because she herself couldn't dance. She supposed if led by a decent partner she could do just fine. But she didn't like large groups of people. She wasn't scared or intimidated; she merely felt out of place amongst the other cheerful and happy students. Even Potter seemed to be doing alright for the first half, even if he wasn't the most graceful dancer to ever grace the earth.

Eventually, she had her fill of drinks and watching couples glide across the dance floor, then jump around as bands began to play.

She turned to go, heading towards the exit when she saw him. That familiar man in black.

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At first, he didn't recognize her. He simply saw out of the corner of his eye a lovely young lady clad in a elegant black dress with lace black wrist gloves. Her hair was wavy and her makeup done to perfect, not enough to overwhelm her delicate features, but enough to add that touch of brilliance to those green eyes he'd come to think about unwillingly for several months now.

But as soon as he realized it was her, he turned to look right at her, catching her eye almost immediately.

They looked at each other for longer than was probably appropriate, given the circumstances. He didn't do anything though except watch her. No betrayal of surprise upon his face when he saw her, no awe over the way she looked, only watched her as she paused in her walk towards the exit, tucked a bit of hair behind her ear, then looked away after a few long seconds and left.

The moment had come and gone.

He cleared his throat when her figure disappeared through the open door out into the hall, headed to the Slytherin common room no doubt. He turned back to watch the other students calmly like he was required to do as a Professor. However, though he seemed serious in watching the other students enjoy themselves for that night, he was stunned on the inside at the way Lilia had looked that evening in her dress. The image would certainly be difficult to forget anytime soon.

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(( Hooray! Two chapters in one day :D I'm home sick today with a nasty cold/virus L So instead of moping around like a zombie I wrote some more! ^_^ I expected to be working today but I felt horrible, and working in retail no one wants to see the cashier coughing and sneezing all over their stuff and money :P haha, so I HAD Chapter 4 written last night to upload today after work, BUT since I'm not working today at all, I typed up another one this morning and perhaps I'll type up a third one for this evening J So hopefully there should be three chapters up today J If not up today, you can know for sure it's in progress ;)

Any who, please review and let me know what you all think J I love getting reviews even if it's just to say "Good job!" haha :D

Also, I would like to add, the battles between the dragons and the first three champions were made up in my mind quickly lol. I only have the movie, and don't actually OWN the novel, I read it like twice and that was years ago so I just sortof looked up online how they did it and sort of threw it in quickly J So if it deviates from the actual events in the book then I apologize J I only have the movie to rely on right now ^_^ '' Anyways, off I go to think up and write another chapter :D ))


	6. Pain and Humiliation

(( I think perhaps I am covered in awesome sauce because here we are with yet ANOTHER chapter today :D Now please forgive me if it's a BIT off here or there (I'm not saying I'll let it be, but if you notice something very… bland or that just doesn't make sense let me know xD It's all the medicine in my system guaranteed and the fact that I've been up since like 4: 30 am today hacking my lungs out xDD Splendid, no? Lol :P

As I said before :D please let me know what you all think, or just say you enjoy the story if that's all you got to say :D I love hearing from you all ^w^ Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the affiliated works. If I did, Snape would have had a chance at happiness xD I feel so bad for him lol. Either way I love him to pieces 8D ))

Lilia closed the door behind her when she reached the Slytherin common room. She sighed and leaned back against the door, wondering why she had almost completely frozen that way when she'd locked gazed with Professor Snape. The length of time they had looked at each other was not exactly appropriate between a teacher and student, and it was no exception between them of course. So why was the first thought that entered her head when he looked at her, if he thought she looked nice that evening; appealing to him in some way.

The thought made her blush and suddenly the fireplace in the common room seemed too warm and she stepped out again, knowing the students were allowed n the halls a little later than usual due to it technically being Christmas holidays now, and even so, the event of the ball that night.

She sighed as she stopped and leaned down, taking off her black heels and carried them, walking barefoot on her own. She looked up after walking for some time and saw she was standing at the entrance to the school's main building. She dropped her shoes beside her and stuck a foot out, letting it touch the snow and gasped softly at how cold it was.

She stepped back and looked out over the snow covered ground. Sliding her small feet into her velvety heels, she stepped out into the snow and walked out a ways, tilting her head back and catching snowflakes upon her tongue.

She closed her eyes, enjoying the cold frosty feeling of snowflakes falling on her bare white skin.

She opened her eyes and looked up at the dark night sky, splashed with flecks of white that slowly drifted, uninhibited by any harsh winds that still Christmas night. And then she smiled. Just faintly, but she did. It wasn't a happy smile though. She smiled sadly, realizing she took no joy in these simple moments anymore. Any joy she should have felt at this moment had died away and rotted into oblivion somewhere deep inside of her along with everything else. There was no happiness there… and no one but her knew why.

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When he found her, she was a sight that suddenly made his breath catch for a moment. He paused in his steps, not standing near the entrance, but catching her movement outside one of the many windows of the school.

She was a slight black shadow upon a perfectly white snow capped world, save for where she'd stepped out into the outside grounds.

He looked at her face as she let the snow fall upon her pale skin, touching her cheeks, kissing her shoulders. He wondered how her skin felt for a moment, but quickly dismissed the idea as absurd. He looked as she opened her eyes and actually smiled. But there was something wrong with it.

Even from where he stood, he could see it was not a real smile, at least, not a happy one. Her eyes didn't mimic the feeling behind that mechanical muscle tug of her lips, pulling the corners up. Her eyes simply remained vacant and distant, devoid of true emotion like he knew her gaze to be.

And then she crumpled to the ground. He watched her for a moment as she seemed to fold in on herself for a moment and figured now was the best time to leave her be and do whatever it was thirteen year old girls in black dresses did in the snow on their own.

He turned to go back to the dance hall, having merely wanted to check and see that she was alright after seeing her leave the ball so early, even though she had stated in Potions that she wouldn't be attending at all. Apparently she changed her mind.

It was then that he heard her whimper in a strangled way.

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It was happening again. Lilia breathed shakily, her body trembling helplessly as the snow fell around her silently. She then gasped and let out a pained cry, clutching her stomach. That horrifying pain was back. She never knew when it would creep up on her, but there it was… and here she was, without help again.

She collapsed into the snow, trembling and panting shakily, her eyes welling up at the nauseating pain filling her body. She lay in the cold, not really caring about the fact that she was freezing; caring more about wanting to stop the pain inside.

She shut her eyes and helplessly let out a scream of pain, clenching her teeth as she kicked futilely at the snow which obviously did no good.

She heard someone coming after a minute or two, she didn't really know how long it had been. She opened her eyes which were blurry with tears, her left hand clawing into the snow towards whoever was approaching.

"Please, please help…" she whimpered, her sides feeling like they truly might split at any moment.

She felt the cold suddenly recede, noticing she was held in someone's arms, being lifted off the ground.

She whimpered again, her fingers clutching at the stranger's shirtfront, closing her eyes, ready to begin sobbing helplessly at the overwhelming pain racking her body. She then gasped and pushed them away suddenly, turned her head away and retched onto the ground a few times, her body shaking in shock, pain and fatigue. She then began to cry, feeling horribly ill and weak and in pain.

She was unaware how long it took, but she then felt her bed under her, curling up under the warm thick covers, sobs of pain escaping her against her will.

Why now? Why did it have to happen when she was so unprepared?

It felt like forever until she felt someone close by and then the touch of a cold glass against her lips. She opened her eyes and whimpered at the light, her head exploding in pain suddenly, already covered in cold sweat no doubt.

"Drink it," someone ordered near her.

Without arguing, she obeyed and drank the warm liquid inside the glass. She regretted it the moment she swallowed. It felt like fire in her belly and it tasted horrible. She tried to open her eyes and found the world to spin when she moved her head against her pillow.

And then she felt something under her slip away and everything went black.

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She heard movement somewhere close by. Lilia opened her eyes, seeing it was morning and squinted. Instinctively, she burrowed under the covers away from the light and shut her eyes tightly, sighing softly. And then someone cleared their throat.

She opened her eyes under the blankets and pulled them down, looking around and then looked to the other side of her bed and her eyes widened seeing Professor Snape seated there. "You! What are you doing here?" she asked him suddenly. And then she narrowed her eyes at him, something dawning upon her. "You found me last night didn't you..?" she asked.

Snape looked at her coolly and raised a brow. "Is that not to your satisfaction, Miss. Gunner? I was under the impression you required assistance…" he replied calmly.

She glared suddenly. "You drugged me…" she snarled quickly. "Why?" she exclaimed.

Snape looked at her calmly, seeing the ferocity in her gaze at the thought of being left helpless in another man's mercy. Something told him it wasn't just a reaction to it being him, either.

"I assisted you, Miss. Gunner. Don't think so highly of yourself that I would do something to you while you were under the influence of my potion" he replied, meeting her dead in the eyes.

She looked at him angrily and breathed through clenched teeth. "Regardless, I don't see how drugging me helps in any way, Snape," she hissed.

Snape crossed his arms as he moved to stand at the foot of her bed. "If you took a moment to pay attention, Miss. Gunner," he said, emphasizing the words 'pay attention', "You wouldn't have failed to notice the pain you were inflicted with is no more."

She looked up at him from under her haphazardly pinned bangs, no doubt having come undone partially while she slept, and then noticed he was right. The pain was gone. She swallowed and touched her sides out of habit, rubbing them softly through the blackish blue corset top of her dress which was in fact still on and not undone or anything. "What did you do?" she asked him cautiously, pulling the covers up over herself more and then looked around. "And where are the other girls?" she asked.

Snape re crossed his arms and sighed in exasperation. "I provided you with a potion of sorts which would numb part of the pain, enough for the sleeping effect to take place so you could sleep through the rest of the pain without having to experience the brunt of it. As for your friends… they saw that you were receiving assistance from me, and after asking if you were alright they left to give you the room so you could recover to full health without distraction," he said calmly.

She rolled her eyes. "I don't need an empty dorm room in order to sleep," she scowled, moving to stand from the bed and then gasped, quickly sitting back down, her face burning in embarrassment.

"I see…" Snape said, having noticed the red stain upon the bed sheets.

She glared furiously at him. "Get out!" she shouted.

He smirked faintly at her. "Why so hostile, Miss. Gunner. it's normal for a girl to go through such… events every now and then," he said, knowing it made her uncomfortable. For some reason even though he hated the idea of embarrassing her, he couldn't bring himself to treat her any differently than any other student. Why should he? She was nothing to him after all. "I'm assuming this is the so called illness of which you speak when you are required to take a leave of absence from class?" he asked her bluntly.

She glared up at him and swallowed, her eyes welling up in humiliation. "It isn't exactly something I advertise, Professor," she spat venomously.

He raised a brow. "Then why not seek aid from the infirmary?"

"In case you haven't noticed, I cannot even bring myself to get up when in pain. What makes you think I can get up simply and walk to the infirmary to get help when I am here on my own?"

"Why not ask another student to get help?"

"I don't want help!" she suddenly screamed.

Snape looked at her silently, raising a brow. "You do not want help when you are in so much pain you cannot move from your bed and you are retching onto the floor..?" he asked sceptically.

She trembled softly and her eyes welled up while she glared furiously at her feet on the floor.

"Is it a reason relating to why you always look so vacant and empty?" he suddenly asked her.

She looked up and met his eyes. "What?" she whispered.

He looked at her quietly. "Your eyes. You look like you've been ripped open and everything good and trusting and caring inside you has been ripped clean out of your body," he said. "You think by refusing help and pushing everyone away it will make all those problems go away, don't you?" he sneered. "You're only a meagre girl of thirteen, Miss. Gunner," he said to her, amazed at how cruel he could be to someone who looked so vulnerable to him. Someone whom looked so easy to take advantage of right there, her eyes brimming with tears, embarrassment written on her face, a pain hidden and locked away in the darkest part of her heart. "You aren't the only one here who has problems," he murmured, leaning closer to her and looked her in the eye. "Your problems… are nothing to me. If you want to be selfish and refuse my help or anyone else's then so be it… perhaps you deserve to suffer," he said. "After all… a brat will never learn her proper place in the world without a little bit of punishment," he finally said in a cruel tone, turning to the doorway. "Clean yourself up, Miss. Gunner. It's disgusting the state you let yourself get into last night," he said.

Lilia watched him go, every single one of his words ripping deep into her when no one else's words could inflict her. She felt her eyes brim with tears, her eyes wide with shock at her professor's cruel harsh words. He couldn't possibly understand the hell she had been through, that would cause her to hide herself away and push everyone away. Why she hated everyone she met… everyone except him.

"There are other forms of evil in this world, Severus… forms you can't even see… forms no one's darkest nightmare can conjure…" she whispered, her eyes darkening as she lowered her head, taking a deep breath.

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(( Okay so I'm TRYING to get Snape to show some form of compassion to Lilia WHILE still retaining he ass hole character xD WHICHHH is extremely hard :P I hope I did alright J And, I think bit by bit Lilia's character will get to be explained more xD and no, it won't be some annoying emo sob story :P I know this last bit MIGHT have seemed like it, almost, but it won't be :P So keep watch! Keep reviewing and reading and letting me know your opinions :D ))


	7. An Awkward Thanks

(( Hooray J Yet another chapter. The last chapter was a bit tough for me to type lol, one, because I did intend for Snape to get a LITTLE close to Lilia there but then I thought I was risking deviating too far from him real self too quickly so I made him into an ass at the end anyways xD And two, because it was such a touchy issue with the whole pain/cramp thing for Lilia :P I was worried what readers might think about me implementing that into the fanfic BUT I was glad to see so much positive reception with that :D I think it was a pretty nifty idea to kinda develop Lilia and Snape more as the student and prefessor by showing how there are things they don't discuss or bring up and all that. It kinda made her a little more real for me :D Anywho! Here we go with Chapter 7 ^w^ Enjoy! :D

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter or the affiliated works… unfortunately _ '' How truly disappointing Dx lol ))

The water was ridiculously cold. How in the hell were the four champions supposed to get their tasks done there?

It had been a few days since the first task, and here the school was, gather out upon the lake just outside Hogwarts, watching from their seats as the four students assembled below in swimming gear which sent gooseflesh spreading throughout others bundled up warmly, just by looking at them dressed in such a manner in the cold.

Lilia watched silently, only half paying attention right now, the argument between her and Snape a few days prior almost haunting her. It was unfair that someone as cruel as him was the one who could pierce through the tough shall she'd built for so long with just a few simple words. She supposed that was what happened when… no… that would be absolutely stupid. He was selfish, arrogant, rude, cold hearted and vicious. It would never ever work that way. Life couldn't possibly be so cruel. Not now.

She watched as the cannon exploded to signal that the task had begun and the four students dove into the water. Well… more like three dove and the last one, Potter, was shoved into the murky cold water by Professor Moody.

Lilia sighed and rested her chin in her hand, looking as Potter shot himself into the air after a few nervous moments for the Gryffindors, cheering in excitement, the spectators looking on with cheers, or at least most did.

Once Harry dove beneath the water line again, it quieted down and Lilia realized the majority of the tournament would be unseen, which she hated. She stood and left the area, moving to the back so she could at the very least be among the first onto the boats to head back to the school once everyone resurfaced.

Sometime into the first task, Fleur Delacour was pulled out, unable to continue competing for reasons un stated. Lilia raised a brow curiously and then shrugged, turning her head to look out at the school.

All she could bring herself to wonder was why Snape had bothered to help her that night when he thought she was a brat deserving of a nasty punishment. It just didn't make sense. Sure he was her head of house, and thus had a large responsibility over her, but he could have just brought her to the infirmary and left her there to be taken care of if it was such a huge issue and a pain for him. So why bother staying by her bedside over night and give her that potion to stop the pain and knock her out in the hopes of it working? She just couldn't wrap her mind around his hot and cold motives. It was just far too confusing for her to make any sense of.

One thing she was sure of, she shouldn't have been so hostile towards him when it really was obvious he'd only meant to help her. For whatever reason, he had taken it upon himself to care for her when he could have just brought her to someone else and gone to do something more interesting. For that… she figured she should at least apologize. Maybe… not one accustomed to saying she was sorry, she wasn't sure if she really would go through with it, especially seeing as Snape wasn't exactly the most approachable professor either.

When Cedric Diggory and Cho Cheng burst from the water first, the crowds cheered in excitement that there was already an end in sight, with one in the lead so far. Soon following was Victor Krum with Hermione Granger pulled alongside him out of the water. However, it seemed to be taking far longer than was necessary for Potter to come up and resurface like the others.

There were two people that suddenly burst forth, one of them being Ron Weasley, and the other, some young blonde girl who that young woman from Beauxbatons instantly cried out for in what seemed relief and desperation, pulling the small child out of the water and into her arms immediately, causing quite a ruckus below the stands.

Lilia watched idly by as everyone nervous awaited Harry's surfacing when he just suddenly, literally flew out of the water and onto the dock where the four champions had begun from at the start of today's task.

The onlookers burst into cheers and everyone clapped, relieved that the tense challenge had been completed without any serious injury.

When everyone gathered onto the boats, Lilia decided to wait until there was less people left and the boats weren't so crowded, watching friends flock together to head back to the warmth of the school. She sighed and stood off to the side slightly, letting other go in front of her in line, each boat filling up progressively, each one heading back.

Once Lilia got into one of the last boats, she watched the tall towers built in the middle of the lake recede into the distance and soon they reached land, the students and professors climbing out of the boats and making their way back to the school.

Lilia stood on the dock and looked out at the eerily still lake quietly, glancing down to look at the posts holding up the dock and noticed they barely created any ripples in the water either. She wondered exactly what had been down there that would make the task so difficult for the champions to do.

"What are you looking at, Mud Blood?" came a nasty voice from behind Lilia.

She turned to look to her right up at one of the other Slytherins in her year. Titania Dippet. Lilia recognized her as one of Malfoy's occasional acquaintances. "I'm simply enjoying the scenery… is there a problem, Dippet?" she asked, her voice irritatingly calm and her emerald green gaze infuriatingly devoid of concern to Titania.

"Oh really?" she asked, the olive skinned witch with black hair approached, a smirk on her face as her two friends watched from behind her. "And why's that?" she asked, her tone daring Lilia to try to evade her or lie.

Lilia looked at Titania quietly. "I was merely wondering what lies beneath the water that would have made today's task so difficult for the champions is all," she replied.

"Oh really..?" Titania purred, circling Lilia, looking the slight quiet girl up and down with a smirk. "I heard there are nasty little creatures floating around in there… I also heard the mermaids down there are highly unpleasant…" she said, meeting Lilia's uninterested gaze. "Maybe you would like to go for a visit. There aren't any teachers here to stop you right now, after all," she pointed out.

As soon as Lilia reached for her wand, Titania pushed Lilia into the freezing deep lake water, outraged when the pale girl grabbed the olive skinned one and dragged her under with her, not to make her freeze with her, but in a moment of weakness and fear as Lilia's world turned against her will and the ground disappeared out from under her right before she hit a freezing cold wall of water with the other girl.

They both went under and their thick clothes immediately soaked up as much water as the fabric would allow, dragging them further and weighing the two children down as Titania struggled to keep afloat, trying to reach the top of the water.

Lilia looked up at the other wide eyed, reaching out the grab her before she could swim away without her, but misjudged what Titania was doing, which was made clear when the other Slytherin kicked herself off Lilia and upwards, resurfacing within seconds, or so it seemed to Lilia who remained frozen and petrified in the freezing water, unmoving and afraid of the familiar darkness that she was slowly being dragged down towards.

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Snape stood by checking off a list of students, frowning when he noticed four students weren't back yet. Lilia Gunner, Titania Dippet, Felicity Prewett and Venus Greengrass.

Quinn stood by, glancing back as the last of the Slytherins entered the entrance of the school and then looked out from the direction they had come from. He glanced at Snape who clearly had noticed the absence of Lilia and took off in the direction of the docks, wondering what could have held up that girl.

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"Felicity!" Quinn shouted in alarm, seeing her dragging a sopping wet Titania from the freezing water. "What happened?" he exclaimed.

"They fell in! I don't know where that muggle born girl went, but she's still down there," she said in worry, pointing to the dark murky water.

Snape walked over and his stomach twisted in a must discomforting way at the thought of Lilia sinking further and further with each precious moment they wasted. "What a foolishly clumsy girl," Snape snarled, moving to the edge of the dock, undoing his cloak already without thinking about how he would find her if she'd already sunk far enough and how he would swim back up if he managed to get to her in time.

He didn't need to though. A blue of brown hair flew by him and Quinn dove into the water, his jacket left behind on the edge of the dock near his hysterical sister.

Snape felt rage flare through him at the thought of that infernal boy being the one to help Lilia out of the freezing water. Of course, there was nothing to do now but wait for the boy to come back up; hopefully with the girl.

Each second felt like a million as Snape waited, ordering the girls to take their friend to the infirmary immediately and stop acting so hysterical.

After a few minutes, Quinn resurfaced, Lilia bobbing limply next to him.

Snape got down onto his knees and reached out, grabbing Lilia under the arms and hoisting her out while Quinn climbed out, shivering violently from the freezing water.

"Is she alright?" Quinn asked through chattering teeth, shrugging on his jacket and pulling it closed right away to protect himself from the cold.

"Go to the infirmary. Get checked out and make sure to let the nurses know another student will be arriving soon," he said, eerily calmly.

Quinn hesitated, looking at Snape in confusion. "But what will-"

"Go do it now Mr. Prewtt," Snape said menacingly, looking at him with his beady dark eyes.

Quinn looked at him for a moment, shivering and then got up, heading to the school, glancing back over his shoulder at Snape for a moment, who leaned over Lilia as though afraid to touch her for some reason.

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She wasn't breathing, but her eyes were staring as though alive yet not seeing the now. She looked as though she was seeing something completely different.

Snape swore in frustration under his breath and took off her soaked jacket, placing his ear to her chest. He was relieved to hear her heart was still beating furiously inside her, but there was something seriously wrong. Her eyes, they still looked empty and vacant but in some odd way, there seemed to be fear there. Fear of something that wasn't there. Something only she could see right now.

He did what he could to try and expel water from her lungs in case that was the problem, though somehow he doubted it. He then leaned close to her face, looking at her with a frown. "Don't you dare die because you're foolish enough to inhale some lake water, Miss. Gunner…" he almost snarled in irritation at the thought. He then pinched her nose and crashed his lips down upon hers and blew air into her in a futile attempt to get the damn girl breathing again. He moved back and looked at her still vacant yet frightened stare and was deeply unnerved by it. He wanted to stop her from looking like that. He tried again and when nothing happened he shook her shoulders in frustration. "Lilia!" he shouted in outrage. "Wake up!" he exclaimed, beginning to lose it at the thought of her somehow dying in front of him, the thought a very frightening thing he didn't wish to let become real.

She suddenly blinked and coughed, turning over onto her side and coughed up some water she'd inhaled while sinking. Her body suddenly began to shiver, which until now, Snape hadn't noticed was not shivering either. He grabbed the cloak he'd removed and put it around her, forcing her to stand up and frowned, pulling her along.

"Your presence is required at the infirmary," he said coldly, pushing her along whenever she began to slow.

She stumbled alongside him, finally collapsing to her knees, shivering violently. "She pushed me…" she whispered, her eyes wide as if in shock.

Snape frowned and looked down at the girl now curled up slightly on the snow covered ground. "Who?" he asked, pretending not to be interested.

"Titania… she pushed me into the water…" she said through clenched teeth, her breath shaky due to her shivering. "I'll murder her…" she whispered suddenly.

Snape narrowed his eyes and leaned down, grasping her by the shoulders and forcing her to stand again, the cold getting to him now though he wouldn't show it. "Before you deicde to go around murdering anyone, Miss. Gunner, you need to be sent to the infirmary to be checked out after falling into those waters without appropriate preparations before or after," he explained.

She looked up at him as they walked, not caring about the fact that her clothes were practically freezing to her body and her hair was soaked and sticking to her in odd ways on her face and down her shoulders. "You don't believe me…" she said accusingly.

He looked at her as they approached the entrance to where they were headed. "That is none of your concern right now. Come, I won't stand for one of the Slytherin house to die of hypothermia or some other ridiculous problem," he said coldly, informing the nurse that Lilia was the other student who had fallen in and momentarily lost consciousness sometime during her sink.

Lilia found her shivering to be too much to bear and followed the nurse to take a hot bath immediately and get warm clothes on, clutching Snape's cloak tightly around her still.

As he watched her go, Snape looked down at the jacket he had picked up from the dock which he'd pulled off her. What a bother, now he had to find her when she got out of the infirmary and give it back to her without looking like he cared about something stupid like her lost jacket.

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Lilia walked down the halls later that afternoon, having spent a few hours in the infirmary just as a precaution in case she suddenly felt dizzy or anything from being in such freezing temperatures for several minutes which could have been fatal.

She headed down to the dungeons, turning down a few corridors and finally stood outside the potions classroom. Taking a deep breath, she reached up and knocked, then moved to push open the door, finding it locked again. She supposed with no classes today, perhaps Snape had gone off somewhere else to do whatever it was teachers did in their spare time.

She turned to go, then paused when she heard the door unlock behind her.

Looking over her shoulder at the door, she curiously reached for it and opened it, poking her head in, seeing Snape calmly retreating back to his desk, apparently having just unlocked the door.

Stepping into the empty classroom, she closed the door behind her and looked around.

"What are you here to bother me about, Miss. Gunner?" Snape inquired from his desk, his voice carrying across the room to her easily.

She sighed and walked over to him quietly. "I wanted to thank you…" she said. "For helping me," she explained.

Snape didn't even look up from his papers. "You were close to drowning, what did you expect me to do, sit there and gawk at your expressionless state and waste time?" he asked bluntly.

She felt her cheeks redden slightly and shook her head. "No. I meant about… that night," she said. "A few days ago," she said.

For a moment, Snape was silent, then looked at her with a narrowed gaze. "What about it?"

She hesitated a moment and then looked down. "I apologize for being rude. I understood you were merely helping me, and I thank you a million times over for it. I was merely…" she tried to think of the right way to phrase it.

"Unaccustomed to someone helping you?" he finished for her, his gaze cold and calm as ever.

She looked up to meet his gaze and then nodded. "Yes. I suppose you could say that," she said.

He looked her up and down briefly and then turned back to whatever he had been doing when she'd come to his classroom. "If that will be all, then you may leave now, Miss. Gunner."

She looked at him quietly and was just about to leave when she opened her mouth hot speak again. "You essentially called me a spoiled brat for not accepting people's help when any normal student would," she said, looking at him as he sighed and looked at her again.

"Miss. Gunner, what occurred that night is strictly between you and I. It is done and that is that. What else is there for you to talk to me about?" he asked, clearly wanting to wrap the conversation up.

She frowned slightly. "Will you be there for me if I ever need you again?" she asked suddenly. Mentally she could have punched herself for wording it that way. She merely had meant that if she wasn't in class sometimes and he knew why, then would he help her whenever he could, but instead it had come out sounding like some intimate thing that had transpired between them. "That is… if I am in that sort of pain again," she said, her breath partially caught in her throat.

Snape looked at her and then slowly rose from his desk, approaching her coolly, his face expressionless as ever as he looked down his nose at her. "If I ever see that you are not in my class again, you will receive detention for not having a pass from the infirmary," he stated.

She looked up at him and then looked away, nodding, then turned to go. She reached the door when she heard him say something.

"However, if you are in the same sort of physical pain I saw you in that night, then I will assist you to the best of my abilities, Miss. Gunner."

She looked back at him, her eyes widened slightly, surprised that someone like Snape would actually agree to helping her if she ever needed his help again. "Er… thank you, professor," she blurted, feeling very relieved.

Snape rolled his eyes and waved his hand away at her, motioning for her to go, clearly as unaccustomed as she was to asking for help or thanking someone genuinely.

With that, she slipped out the classroom door, a relief filling her somewhere.

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(( Yay! Yet another chapter up tonight. Plenty of spare time today outside of sleeping infront of the tv lmao : 3 I hope that chapter was okay. I dunno what I think of the end lol. I HAD what they were going to say planned out in my head but then I fell asleep cause of meds and then I forgot… sortof xD I had the general idea in mind but I was like "oh shoot" when I tried to type what they said the way I had originally imagined it to be. Haha, oh well J Anyways! There we go, a LITTLE bit of closeness finally developing between them ;) Lol, I hope you thought it was alright :D Please let me know what you all think ^_^ ))


	8. Uncaring Realization

(( Omigosh! :D I got a whole bunch of awesome-tastic review :D I am also very happy to report I'm quickly overcoming whatever it was that I caught J I'm fully aware of my surroundings today atleast ;) haha :D AND! I also mistook the amount of time that took place between the first and second task in The Triwizard Tournament Again, this is because I only have the movie to go on xD I thought it was only a few days or so, BUT It was actually a few months w I apologize for that. The time space between the events will be more accurate in this chapter ^_^ The time difference itself doesn't really matter lol, I can just pretend it was a few days between task one and two, then a few months between two and three the way it actually was in the book :P ANYWHO xD I'm very very happy that people are really liking the story so far and are so receptive :D It makes me feel great as a new fanfic-er ^^ Anyways, here is chapter 8 J Please enjoy and review ^^ I love hearing what you all think ))

With a trembling hand, Lilia accepted the mug and drank the potion, letting herself slip away into darkness, the object slipping away from her grasp. She didn't hear it hit the floor so she assumed Snape had caught it before it could fall far. She felt her eyes slip closed and it all went away.

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She felt almost silky smooth sheets on top of her and a firm pillow under her. It smelled different than her own. In fact, the whole thing felt different. She opened her eyes slowly, a soft yawn escaping her as she looked around to see a very unfamiliar place. Frowning, she sat up, glancing down when her palm touched a different material. A towel… under her. She blushed, knowing why of course and looked around curiously, still having no recollection of how she'd gotten there during the night or even where she was.

She turned to look to her right when she heard movement and saw Professor Snape stepping into the room.

"Where am I?" she asked, reaching up to fix her messy hair without thinking about it. She hoped her breath didn't smell terrible. That would certainly be embarrassing.

"In the teacher's quarters," he replied calmly, adjusting his high collar. "Specifically my room."

She looked at him with surprise clearly visible on her face.

"I didn't feel the desire to disturb the other girls in your dormitory by brining you there late, so to avoid that, instead of leaving you on the floor of the potions classroom, I brought you here to sleep," he said, his tone clearly telling her not to ask him anymore about it.

She knew he didn't want her to go into his motives behind brining her to his own room, so she asked the only question that she had been wondering herself. "Then… where did you sleep during the night, Professor?" she asked, an odd sensation making itself known in her stomach at the thought of Snape lying in the bed nearby her. She swiftly crushed that mental image when he pointed at a leather chair near the other side of the room. She nodded. "Oh," she said simply.

"You should get yourself to your dormitory quickly so you can freshen up and get a change of clothes on before classes," he said.

She nodded and carefully took the towel, keeping it wrapped around her skirt as she stood from the bed. "Uh, thank you professor. I apologize for imposing on you that way," she said.

"Yes well seeing as you had an episode during our detention, I expect you there tonight to complete what punishment I gave you," he said calmly, turning to go to the door and opened it, then stood waiting for her to go through.

She paused, wondering why he was suddenly doing things like holding the door open for her.

"Miss. Gunner, if you would hurry. I don't fancy the idea of a third year skulking around in my bed chambers when I am not here," he said.

She nodded. Of course that was why he'd stopped to wait.

She walked past him and outside into the hall, looking around and frowned. "How do I get back?" she asked, not having been in the teachers chambers yet before.

Snape sighed, locking his door and motioned for her to follow him.

They made it to a familiar looking hall and Lilia nodded. "Alright, I can find my way from here."

He nodded and without another word, went to prepare his lessons for the day, no doubt.

She watched him go for a moment and then went to the Slytherin common room.

When she got there, she was relieved to hear no one was awake yet, it being still rather early in the morning. She rushed to get a fresh change of clothes and then went into the girls bathroom, turning on the tap and stepping into the tub built for several to use at once. Usually Lilia managed to get it to herself, which she preferred, not enjoying the thought of others seeing her naked. It made her uncomfortable and embarrassed. Yes she was only thirteen now, but other girls had already begun 'developing' while she had only the barest minimum of curves to show for on her sides. Essentially, nothing in comparison to some of the breasts other girls her age were developing, much to her disappointment.

Snape wouldn't ever like that, she knew. She blinked, blushing deeply at the mortifying thought. How repulsive! She wouldn't ever dare normally think of a teacher, especially Snape in that way! She shook her head, figuring it was just the after effects of the potion now wearing off.

She slid further down into the tub and relaxed, the bubbles reaching up to her chin. She closed her eyes and rested her head back against the edge of the tub, the hot water incredible soothing to her sore and tired body. Oh how she loathed these times during the month.

When she finished, she rose out of the water and dried off, pulling on her fresh clothes and cleaned her other ones of any stains or mess, then put them off to the side to be laundered later.

She then went down to the common room, looking around quietly at the empty room, rather liking the dark and cold interior, admiring it as she took a seat on the black leather couches. It portrayed Slytherin very well in her opinion. But most of all, it made her think of Snape. Cold, black, sleek, dark. Everything he was seemed to be represented here. She found herself wondering if the other heads of house had such similarities between themselves and their common rooms. Was Gryffindor's common room old and serious? It didn't matter.

Getting up, she left the common room and headed down the hall to see if anyone was awake yet and in the Great Hall, waiting for breakfast.

She was just about to turn a corner when she over heard two very familiar voices, one speaking in a more serious tone than the other.

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"You know it isn't wise, Severus to associate oneself so personally with the students," said Dumbledore.

Snape stood tall and silent, looking at the headmaster calmly. "I assure you, Headmaster, nothing transpired. The girl required help so I merely brought her to my sleeping quarters instead of disturbing the other girls that evening."

Dumbledore looked at Snape over his half moon spectacles, a knowing look seeming to form in his eyes. "Tell me, Severus. Do you care more about that girl than would be appropriate for a teacher?" he asked.

Snape narrowed his gaze, hating how Dumbledore just seemed to know every little thing that went on in the castle, including peoples thoughts, and instead of directly answering the question he retaliated. "I don't see why you are troubling yourself over the matter of me helping a one girl when you yourself are always present to help Potter whenever he requires your aid," he said coldly, not outright defensively, but most definitely irritated.

Dumbledore smiled thoughtfully at Snape and reached out with a wrinkled old hand and clasped Snape's shoulder with a surprisingly firm grip. "Just promise me that you will watch yourself, Severus. I am merely looking out for your best interests," he assured the black clad wizard.

Snape eyed Dumbledore coldly and then nodded without saying anything.

With that, Dumbledore nodded as well and bid Snape farewell, leaving the Potions Master to stand on his own and mull over his thoughts for a while.

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Something told Lilia that wasn't a conversation she was meant to hear. She glanced up from the floor where she'd been staring while listening when Dumbledore passed her by. She looked at him quietly and wasn't the least bit surprised when he caught her eye and nodded with a polite smile. Watching him disappear down one hallway, she turned to go back the way she came, figuring it would be best to stay out of Snape's way for the time being.

Instead of going to the Great Hall to wait as planned, she walked outside, strolling along the path leading out of the castle and out onto the field of grass outside.

When she looked up, she noticed Professor Moody headed back to the castle a ways away, drinking from that flask almost desperately again. She narrowed her eyes at him, wondering if he was some sort of alcoholic who couldn't even begin his day without a drink of whiskey or something other. It reminded her almost of someone she knew.

She sighed, looking out at the forbidden forest, disappointed that in a week or two she would be leaving the school again and going back home.

Home… not a thrilling thought in the least.

She was glad that this last December the students had been encouraged to stay for the tournament and Yule ball, and she'd jumped at the chance to avoid leaving, even if it meant being cooped up here on her own. But she couldn't bring herself to leave. She felt so much better here at Hogwarts among people like her than at home with her Muggle father.

She dismissed thoughts of home and the disappointment of having to leave the school again.

Turning back towards the school, she passed by Hagrid's hut, glancing up when he waved to her. "Morning, Miss. Gunner. Lovely day 'ennit?" he asked, his usual excited smile upon his chubby hairy face.

She nodded, waving slightly to him and then went back inside. She was relieved to see other students up again, and wondered just long she had been outside. No matter. She turned in toe direction of the Great Hall and went to sit near Ariel and Dawn again, nodding to them when they greeted her with a good morning. Getting comfortable, soon breakfast appeared and Lilia ate plenty, having not made it to dinner last night obviously.

When he belly was filled, she got up, walking with Ariel to Herbology. After that class, she went on to Charms, then Transfiguration and Potions. After lunch, she resumed her classes with Defence Against the Dark Arts, Care of Magical Creatures and Divination. Astronomy was only every Wednesday night, so she didn't have to worry about that until tomorrow evening.

At dinner, she sat with Dawn again, awaiting Ariel's arrival. When she joined them, she looked excited about something.

"Oh, my goodness. I just heard from Kenny Partridge by far the most shocking gossip I think has ever gone around in Hogwarts," she whispered to Dawn and Lilia.

Dawn shrugged. "Kenny is an idiot who doesn't know up from down. What makes you think he would know a bit of gossip that you or I don't know about beforehand, Ariel?" she asked, raising a sharp brown as she drank her pumpkin juice.

Ariel bit her lower lip, thinking that over and then sighed. "True, but Oliver Lennox turned around in class and said he'd heard the same thing from somebody else earlier today," she pointed out. "And you know if Oliver thinks it could be true then it must be," she said insistently.

Dawn rolled her eyes and sighed, crossing her arms as Lilia ate quietly next to her. "What is it then, Ariel?" she asked, clearly not interested in hearing it anyways.

Ariel smirked and leaned forward towards the two of them across the table. "This morning, someone saw a student leaving Professor Snape's bed chamber," she said slowly in a low voice.

Lilia glanced up at Ariel from beneath her fringe of bangs and hoped there wasn't a name to the student. She could only imagine what people were thinking about a student spending the night in a teachers bed chambers. For the entire night…

She swallowed her food with great difficulty, looking at Ariel. "Does anyone know who it was?" she asked.

Ariel shook her head. Oliver said the person who told him, said the person who saw the student only saw her back. They didn't get to see her face so they can't be sure who it was. Only that she's in Slytherin," she nodded and giggled in a very nasty way. "She must be some student in order to have gotten Snape interested in her," she said.

"In her period," Dawn added, making Ariel laugh.

Lilia looked between the two wearily. She hadn't thought about anyone seeing her leaving Snape's room that morning. It was stupid to not have looked to see if anyone was in that hall. Even if she had never been there herself didn't mean that other students hadn't either. "Does Professor Snape know that he was seen with a student this morning?" she asked.

Dawn shrugged. "No doubt. He's a very smart man. I don't think anything could get past him. But somehow I don't think he cares. If think if someone was to catch him right in the act he would just play it cool like he always does," she smirked. "Now that I think about it… if he is sleeping with a student for real, which somehow I doubt because he doesn't strike me as a pedo, I can't say I blame the girl. He's such a bad ass teacher," she grinned.

Ariel made a face. "Dawn! He's so old!" she hissed in disgust.

Dawn laughed. "Oh come on, he isn't ancient or anything. No grey hairs yet as far as I can see, which means he's still on the market," she smirked, looking in the direction of the teachers table with some interest in her fiery eyes.

Lilia glanced at Dawn and felt a flare of annoyance somewhere inside her at the way Dawn was eyeing the professor's table. She didn't need to imagine which professor she was looking at either.

Ariel flipped a lock of strawberry blonde curls over her shoulder and sighed. "You're such a closet pervert, Dawn. I'll be the first to say it."

"And I'll be the first to agree," said Cimbeline Cuffe, who just sat down to join them after coming from one of her classes.

"Ah, Cimbeline, have you heard?" asked Ariel.

The ashy blonde girl looked up at her friend Ariel and frowned. "Heard what?" she asked.

Dawn chuckled. "That Professor Snape gets around with a student," she purred.

Cimbeline looked at Dawn aghast. "He what?" she asked, her grey eyes practically bulging out of her skull at the thought.

Ariel rolled her eyes. "He does not. It's a rumour and it doesn't say Snape slept with a student, just that a student left his bed chambers early this morning," she pointed out.

Dawn looked at Ariel like she was a two year old child. "Ariel, are you really so thick headed. Why else would someone be leaving Snape's bed chambers 'early in the morning'?" she asked, emphasizing the early in the morning bit.

Cimbeline shrugged. "Maybe she had been asked to come visit early in the morning for something academic related?" she suggested.

Dawn laughed. "Oh god, that sounds just as dodgy," she grinned wickedly. "Well whoever she is, I must commend her for having someone like Snape, who never even looks at women, wrapped around her finger like that. Maybe she's doing it for grades," she gasped. "Oh god, what a scandal," she giggled.

Ariel laughed. "Alright, stop. It's still only a rumour," she laughed.

Cimbeline wrinkled her nose. "Guaranteed it was someone in the other houses who came up with the rumour just to make our head of house look bad," she pointed out.

Dawn pouted. "Aww, Cimbeline. You ruined the scandal of it. No fun," she sighed.

Ariel laughed. "Ah well, I think it's best if Dawn doesn't think of Snape as some predatory sex teacher now," she pointed out.

Cimbeline laughed while Dawn stuck her tongue out at Ariel.

In the meantime, Lilia picked at her food, somewhat relieved that Cimbeline would put forth the idea that it was merely a rumour and probably only one to make Snape look bad. Of course, only Lilia knew that it wasn't entirely a rumour. She knew nothing had transpired and nothing would anyways, but the thought that people were talking about it like it was some big deal made her feel a bit uncomfortable. After all, who wanted to be suspected of sleeping with one of the professors?

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Lilia glanced up from the caterpillars she was supposed to be pre slicing for Snape's fifth year potions class. It wasn't much to do, so Lilia hadn't really felt too bad about serving the rest of her detention there that night. She just found herself wondering if Snape had heard the rumour about him with a student and what his opinion was on it.

"What is it, Miss. Gunner?" Snape asked from his desk.

She looked down right away and shook her head. "Nothing, sir," she said quietly, finishing up another caterpillar and grasping another one, wrinkling her nose in disgust at the creature. She deeply detested bugs of any kind.

When she finished, she brought up her work to his desk and showed him, just to make sure they were to his liking.

He glanced at them and nodded his head in the direction of the counter without a word on her work.

Cleaning her hands off, she moved to wipe them on her skirt and proceeded to the door.

"Miss. Gunner, what's bothering you today?" he asked her. "You look sick again. I will have you know I will not be allowing you to get help from me just because you want it but don't fully require it," he told her, his cold eyes on her as she turned to look back at him.

"No sir, that isn't it at all. I was merely wondering if you had heard," she said, somewhat unsure of how to say it.

Snape watched her almost scornfully, his black eyes boring into her while he waited for her to go on.

She looked back at him and sighed, turning to fully face him. "I was wondering if you had heard that someone saw me leaving your room early this morning. Some students seem to think that it is necessary to take it out of hand and make it into something it really isn't…" she explained, feeling extremely stupid for bringing it up suddenly.

He looked at her silently. "Were you recognized?" he asked.

She shook her head.

"Then do you even care if people take it out of context, Miss. Gunner? Realistically do you even care about what people think or say?" he asked her suddenly.

He caught her off guard and she looked at him, her eyes slightly widened. It took her a few moments but she suddenly realized she really didn't care. About the rumour, what people said, what people thought or what happened. She didn't care…

He nodded. "That's what I thought…" he said before she could reply to his question. He turned back to his work, silently dismissing her.

She took a step back and then turned and left, her expression still showing how stunned she was while her mind replayed the realization that she didn't care. She didn't care not just about the rumour but about several things. She had stopped caring about things a while ago and somehow Snape could see that just by looking at her. That thought somehow frightened her. Not only because he could see into her and know things she tried to hide away from the world but also because no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't really care anymore that he knew. He knew she was dead inside and she didn't care about any of it at all.

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(( Woo! Chapter 8 done ^w^ I hope you all liked it as much as the previous chapters :D Since it's still relatively early in the day I hope to have chapter 9 up by either later tonight or early tomorrow morning J And off I go to think up more ideas while grooving to 2NE1 :P Haha! Please review and let me know what you all think :D I love hearing from you all J ))


	9. Confrontation

(( *flails* I forgot to put a disclaimer in the previous chapter! I'm sooooooo sorry! I was like NOOOO when I put up the chapter xD But… I'm too lazy to take it down then fix it, and upload it again w So…. Sorry about that ^^'' And like I said before :P So ya! Last chapter kinda ended on a SORTOF emo-esque note? XD But like I said, this isn't some girl with a sob story :P you'll see the relevance between that last bit and this chapter, so ya! :P I hope you all are enjoying reading this as much as I am writing it :D Happy Canada day to any fellow Canadians out there haha :D

DISCLAIMER: I unfortunately do not own Harry Potter or the affiliated works L How sad. If I did, Severus Snape wouldn't be dead… he'd be right here… in bed… with me ;) mwahahahaha I'm a pervert xD I know ))

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She looked the same way he had so long ago. His father. Tobius Snape. He sighed, unable to focus on the work piled up on his desk and ran a hand through his black hair, then pinched his nose, closing his eyes as he replayed the moment in his mind when he asked Lilia if she really did care at all and she had made that face… that expression which told him everything he needed to know. She didn't.

What on earth could possibly make a thirteen year old not care about anything and look so vacant all the time, he wondered. She was only thirteen, but her expression was that of a woman far beyond her years who had suffered more than any child should. But not only that, it was an uncaring gaze. One that told him she cared for no one and nothing. The same way his father had.

She was emotionally dead. He wondered if she had ever experienced something that really could make her smile or laugh, and not the way she had when he'd seen her on the night of the Yule ball back in December.

He stood from his seat and made his way to the door, ignoring the sound of the ink bottle falling off his desk to the floor. He would just deal with it later. This, he had to see to right now.

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Lilia hadn't gotten far from the potions classroom when she heard the swish of a clock across the floor and footsteps behind her. She turned and her eyes widened seeing Snape fast approaching with a very seriously expression on his face. An expression aimed at her.

She stepped away and then stumbled back, jumping when her back connected with the wall behind her and he stood right in front of her, his arms on either side of her head as he looked down at her.

She looked up at him in alarm, her heart racing in a panic, her mind screaming at her to get away from him. Her professor… who was now trapping her helplessly to the wall. She looked on either side of the hall and then back up at him, her almond shaped eyes reflecting the discomfort and fear rising up in her in the form of a scream. "What are you doing?" she finally gasped, her eyes not straying from his this time.

He looked at her seriously and frowned. "What happened to you?" he asked her suddenly.

She blinked, obviously confused by this question and shook her head once. "I… I'm sorry?"

"Why do you look that way all the time? Why do you never laugh, never smile? You're a thirteen year old girl, Miss. Gunner. You better have a damn good reason for looking like you could watch the world rot around you without lifting a finger to help or care," he said.

She swallowed, having never been addressed in such a way, and by her professor of all people. No one had ever worded the way she looked in such a… cruel way. Her chin trembled as she looked up at him and then her gaze hardened. "You have no right to ask me such personal questions, sir," she said, practically spitting out the last word.

He glared at her and grasped her shoulders suddenly, leaning dangerously close, meeting her gaze. "I am sick and tired of watching you teenagers walk around thinking your sob story is more important than anyone else's. It's exactly the way I said before, Miss. Gunner, there are more important and more dangerous things in the world than whatever boyfriend broke your heart and left you emotional," he sneered.

She glared at him furiously and moved to suddenly slap him across the face, anger flaring up inside her.

He caught her hand before it could connect with his face and looked at her with a faint smirk, raising a brow, daring her to try and hit him again.

Lilia ground her teeth in frustration and tried to pull her wrist out of his grasp but he wouldn't let her go. "Let go of me!" she shouted, reaching up and trying to pry his fingers away from her wrist. "Don't touch me," she snarled, pulling even harder.

Snape smirked but his eyes hardened at the same time as he pulled her other hand from his fingers and pinned her hands above her head against the wall, looking at her as she struggled against his hold. "You're nothing but a weak child, Miss. Gunner. You think you're strong one moment and then you think the world should submit to you when you feel upset the next… I think it's time you woke up to the fact that no one will ever truly care about your little relationship problems or dislikes in life," he sneered. "You should be mindful of the way you look. That expression of yours angers me, Miss. Gunner. I would very much like physically remove it, but of course what good would that do?" he smirked. "I'm telling you to smarten up young lady and stop acting like the world is miserable and everyone should pity you," he said, finally letting go of her wrists. "No one wants to listen to a sob story. If you think life is so terrible, then do us all a favour and remove yourself from the planet," he said cruelly, looking at the slight thirteen year old, her head ducked down, her arms hanging limply by her sides as though his words had been some kind of physical blow. "If being a Muggle born is so awful, then die and pray you are reborn a pure blood," he sneered, moving to turn away.

He knew what he said had been severely excessive, but he'd grown annoyed, seeing Lilia come to class with that same uncaring and empty gaze all the time. He hated it. He had been so tempted to slap that expression right off her face sometimes when she would monotonously reply to his questions or leave with her friends, her gaze vacant. But he knew it did more than anger him. It upset him. He hated seeing how empty those beautiful green eyes were. How sad they always looked. He wanted it to stop. Stop tormenting him and haunting him. Perhaps if she just acted normal he would stop thinking about her when he had other things to worry about.

"I don't need pity…" she finally spoke in a soft voice.

Snape turned to look at her and then turned his entire body to face her, crossing his eyes, his cold gaze urging her to continue.

She leaned her head back against the wall, looking up at the ceiling while her hands moved to rub her slightly sore wrists. "I don't want anyone to pity what happened to me. And I never meant for my expression to anger you, Professor," she said and turned her head slightly to look up at him from where she stood leaning back against the wall still, like it was the only thing still holding her up. She then narrowed her eyes and smirked for the first time. "I only expect people to stay out my way so I can drag those who hurt me down to hell with me," she said finally.

Something about the way she said those words sent chills up his spine. That look in her eyes told him she would never cry if she was hurt. Something told him she never did cry when someone hurt her. She would merely hurt them back ten times worse with all the ferocity she could muster. The fact that this was a thirteen year old girl looking at him that way while saying those words to him felt disturbing.

He couldn't remember the last time he felt disturbed the way he did now.

She looked at him silently, the smirk fading to be replaced with the same empty and uncaring expression. "I will never smile or laugh because I will not deny the simple truth that I have nothing to laugh or smile about. You can hit me and slap me and push me to the ground right now and I will not do it," she told him. "I feel nothing because it is weakness," she said finally. "If I didn't learn how to numb my emotions I would have been driven mad by now thanks to people who I have had the misfortune of coming to know," she explained. "With no emotions I can live each day, ignoring the world around me and focusing merely on what I need to do to humiliate and hurt those who hurt me first," she whispered, her eyes staring straight into his.

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Marvellous yet heartbreaking. That was what she was. Her denial of emotions and weakness made her more attractive and incredible to him than any other human had ever been in his eyes. To be thirteen and already deny oneself the show of emotion was an incredible feat he had to commend her for. She was strong… but broken.

He could see it in her eyes when she spoke. She wasn't just refusing to be weak. She was refusing to be hurt again but would never admit to it. Whatever had happened in her life up until now was something he knew could not be changed, but he also knew it was something she didn't deserve, and it made him angry on the inside to watch a mere child speak like some tortured adult.

Sometimes he would forget she was only thirteen, but right now, he saw her for what she was. A closed off, frightened, hurt and angry child who refused to let anyone inside. She was strong, but broken and he didn't know if she was reparable to begin with.

He stepped towards her calmly, looking at the way she leaned against the wall still for support and reached out, firmly placing a hand upon her shoulder, his dark gaze meeting her empty green one. "There are many forms of evil in this world, Miss. Gunner… it's unfortunate that you had the bad luck of meeting one…" he spoke quietly.

She tilted her head to look up at him quietly, questioning his motives for saying such a thing.

"However, nowhere does it say you are weak for asking someone to aid you in your tasks," he told her. "It would be stupid to face it on your own. Trying to be the hero rarely gets anyone anywhere," he said, his hand moving away, the tips of his fingers just barely grazing the skin upon her neck as she looked at him.

She watched him move away for a moment and then looked off to the side distantly. "Rarely…" she murmured. She turned to look back up at her professor. "Perhaps… we shall see," she finally said.

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(( *ducks* I know I know! Another short chapter xD BUT I didn't wanna just move on to another day and just totally lose the feel I want this chapter to have J Plus! In my defence this IS two chapters in one day xD Anywho J 1. I didn't wanna drag the chapter on needlessly, and 2. I think just the argument/ confrontation from Snape on its own should just one a single chapter J Anywho! Please review, I REALLY wanna know all your opinions! :D ))


	10. Admitting to Hatred

(( Good day to all of my readers -w- Haha, I wanted to have three chapters up yesterday but eh :P Canada day fireworks and then late night pizza made me wanna go to sleep as soon as I got home :P But here is chapter 10! I hope you like it as much as it seems everyone lurved the previous chapters haha :D I'm really happy with the responses I'm getting so far ^^ Any who :D Enjoy!

DISLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter, Severus Snape, Lucius Malfoy… or any of the other awesomely awesome characters. If I did, Voldemort probably would have won and Severus Snape would still be alive *wipes away a tear and sniffles* Oh Snivellus… ))

"He thinks I'm some sort of freak," she told Snape, sitting in his classroom again, drinking something her professor had brewed up to fill their stomachs with, neither one of them feeling inclined to go to dinner that evening. Looking down at the mug clasped in her small white hands, she could feel the sudden distaste Snape was emanating at her words. Glancing up at him, she saw his gaze looking cold and darkened as he watched her.

Snape remembered his own father the moment she spoke. Instantly he felt hatred grow in the pit of his stomach at the thought of Lilia going through a similar childhood to his; but something told him there was more to it than him simply telling her she was a freak for being able to do magic.

She looked down again. "I think you already know it's more than just being rejected by own father for what I am," she said. Sighing, she rested her chin in her palm and traced circles into the top of the desk, which they'd sat down at, with her finger. "He hurts me. He'll find it fun to torture me and scare me just to see me do magic… and the funny thing is that isn't even the worst part of it all. If that were it, I think I might be able to smile for real sometimes. But the things my father does to me are beyond cruel," she sighed and looked up at him.

He watched her quietly, not saying a word, not wanting to discourage her from opening up to him. He doubted she would ever do it again.

"My father… is a scientific man. He doesn't believe that what I do and learn is actually magic," she said. "He will try to explain it as some sort of… scientific phenomenon…" she shook her head. "He'll… do things," she frowned. "Things to make me react. He'll take my wand away and force me to try and perform magic without it."

Snape felt his blood curdle at the thought of her having to summon a tremendous amount of magic just to please her father.

"That was when I saw it," she said. "A few years ago, I managed to do magic without my wand… I didn't know what it was at first. I didn't even realize it was magic," she explained. "I would spend hours in the library last year looking for some explanation as to what it was. I'd almost entirely given up hope and thought perhaps he was right. I really was some sort of freak," she sighed and closed her eyes. "But then I found it…"

He frowned, wondering if that was as far as she would go when she didn't say anything for several moments. When she did speak again, his blood curdled at the thought of what she had been encountered with.

"Legilimency…" she said finally, lifting her head and then glanced up to meet his eyes. "I saw into his mind… and in that moment I sorely wished that I hadn't," she said. "I don't know how it happened. He was… hurting me one day," she shook her head, and closed her eyes, "and I suppose I was more frightened and angry than usual when I just… looked. Only for a moment…" she said and then stared straight ahead with a disgusted and hateful look upon her face. "It's happened only a few times after that, but whenever it did, I saw what he thought of me… what he wanted to do, and in that first moment, when I realized these were actually his thoughts, I no longer merely feared him. I hated him," she said, her eyes welling up slightly, but she blinked once and the tears were gone. "I wanted him dead. But not just dead, I wanted him to suffer for what he put me through and I wanted to humiliate him for what he wanted to do if given the chance," she said. She then turned to look up at Snape. "And yet, I am too much of a coward to use the killing curse on him…" she said finally in a quiet and almost tired voice.

Snape recoiled inside at the thought of her having to resort to such a spell in order to free herself from her muggle father's clutches. He looked into her eyes and understood that she was scared and worst of all, alone up until this very moment. He knew in his mind he couldn't live with himself if he let her merely go back home after this month to face that monstrosity of a man again. "What did you see..?" he finally asked her.

She looked up at him and then shook her head slowly, her head lowering. "Don't make me say it…" she whispered wearily.

He felt rage boil in his blood at the sight before him and ground his teeth together. "If you do not tell me what you saw, I will dismiss what you say as mere lies, Miss. Gunner… I cannot help you if you do not give me reason to," he said.

She felt her eyes well up in humiliation and swallowed with great difficulty. "I saw how he wanted to kill me slowly… in the most inhumane way he possibly could," she said. "He wanted to touch me, and rape me and murder me slowly…" she said finally, looking at him with a deadened look in her eyes suddenly. "Every time he touches me or looks at me I want to murder him… make HIM suffer for making me afraid to step foot into my own damn house," she said and shook her head. "Where I live it is no home, merely a house where I am trapped by my sick, twisted, muggle father," she said and glared. "I refuse to cry because of him. I've never given that monstrosity the satisfaction of seeing how much what he does, and wants to do hurts…" she said. "I feel relieved that my mother isn't there to see the hell he's created for us both," she said. "But again, this is my life and I will destroy him the way I want to… I do not need your help, Professor…" she said and rose suddenly. "What I told you today is my secret, and now yours…" she said and looked at him. "I will not let that man come near me when I return home and if he does, I will be forced to kill him," she said finally. She knew she had to this time. "All I have to say to you is… that I appreciate you letting me tell you my story…" she said, finishing her drink and then tucked in her chair, turning to go.

"Why did you never report any of this to Dumbledore or a professor the moment you arrived here?" he asked her with a frown.

She turned to look at him and shrugged. "I don't know the entire reason. I suppose it is because I am ashamed of having a father such as my own, and I don't want people, especially professors or Dumbledore on my case, pitying me over something even I myself don't pity over," she said. "I don't need everyone to know something I don't want to be known… I want to handle it on my own. I don't want to be thought of as another annoying sob story, as you so kindly put it once before," she said firmly, then after a moment, turned to go to the door again.

Snape watched her head to the door and then rose, following her.

For a moment she would have told him to leave her alone, but remembered it must be far past dinner time by now and if caught alone in the halls, she would be in trouble.

The two made their way to the Slytherin common room, Snape's mind weighed down with thoughts of what Lilia had finally admitted to him. He felt somewhat proud to know that she trusted him with her story, but angered that she had to go through so much alone. And yet she never cried over any of it. She had nearly admitted to her own humiliation of feeling so exposed by her own father and his perverted thoughts, but she wouldn't cry in pity or fear over any of it. For that, Snape had to commend her, knowing if she refused to cry over the pain she'd gone through and the fear she lived with, then she was far stronger than most.

When they reached the Slytherin common room without any problem, Lilia spoke the password and stepped inside, turning to look back at Snape. "You promise never to reveal to anyone what I told to you tonight, correct?" she said, her eyes narrowed suspiciously. She didn't want people bothering her about what she'd been through. She hadn't even told Snape everything, and she knew that he knew that, but hat she had admitted was a lot for her to share anyways and she hoped Snape understood that much at least.

He nodded, regarding her coolly. "The information you've opened up with to me tonight will remain unspoken, Miss. Gunner. It will remain your secret and now mine as well," he assured her calmly, his face not betraying even for a moment the anger he felt over what she'd gone through as far as he knew, even if she hadn't told him every detail.

She nodded and turned away to go towards the stiars leading to the girls dormitory when Snape said something to her.

"You're much stronger than I originally gave you credit for, Miss. Gunner… don't ever lose that strength… it may come in good use later in life," he told her.

She stood silently and turned around to reply but was only a moment too late, seeing the common room door closing and Snape walking away, just the ends of his cloak flowing out of her line of vision behind the closing doorway.

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Lilia sighed as she pulled off her shoes, then her socks and undid her skirt. She placed them all on the chair next to her bed and then pulled off her vest and tie, unbuttoning her shirt and placed them all on the chair next to her bed as well. She pulled on a nightgown and then brushed her teeth before bed. After that was done, she climbed into her bed, pulling the covers overtop of herself and sighed, staring ahead unseeingly.

She hoped Snape had taken what she said to heart and wouldn't tell anyone else. It was not their business. She knew it was none of his either, but she felt she could trust him, as her head of house to at least know why she did things or acted the way she did without questioning her any further. But she wondered what he also thought of her now. Did he think less of her? Did he tell her he thought of her as strong just to put her mind at ease and stop her from bothering him, when in actuality he thought of her as weak? She rolled over onto her side and pulled the pillow out from under her head, hugging it close to her side and rested her head upon the end of it, closing her eyes and sighed, only hoping Snape didn't think of her as an annoying student with another 'roll your eyes at' sob story.

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He wanted to make him suffer. Lilia didn't deserve the hell she'd been trapped in, and he wouldn't just let her go back soundlessly. He needed to speak to Dumbledore about this, but then he remembered he'd made a promise to her not to reveal what her story was. She didn't want people pitying her. Probably because it annoyed her, he figured. Pity was a stupid thing. No one ever actually pitied anyone. Even he didn't pity Lilia really. He just wanted to protect her. The same way he'd wanted to protect Lily Evans, many years prior.

His heart ached at the thought of her and he sighed, running a hand through his jet black hair softly and closed his eyes. He'd failed Lily as well as himself. He'd let Voldemort find them and kill her.

Sitting on his bed, he leaned forward and hung his head in his hands, thinking about Lilia and that solemn look upon her face when she'd spoken of murdering her own father for the atrocities he'd committed, and wanted to commit against her. He would not let her suffer on her own. He would take this chance upon himself and redeem the bad that'd done. He couldn't have Lily or save her, but at least now he had a chance to protect Lilia.

No child should ever be allowed to live in so much hatred and pain. She had been denied her childhood by a cruel and twisted father but he would do what he could on his own to give her a chance at a normal life forever after. Even if it led to her turning away from him and finding another to rely on and laugh with, the same way Lily had done before.

The thought irritated him, but then again, Lilia was only thirteen and he was already thirty five. The age gap was so immense between them he wasn't surprised at all that Lilia wasn't attracted to him in the least, even if he was. He supposed he was used to it by now, however and climbed into bed, feeling angered by Lilia's situation, his own misfortune of becoming attracted to someone far out of his reach yet again, and not knowing where to go with it at the moment from there.

Suffice to say, he didn't sleep as well as he would have liked that night.

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(( Hooray! Chapter 10! And yes, for those of you wondering and scratching your heads, thinking 'Snape's older than thirty five!' He was born on January 9, 1960 apparently and the Triwizard Torunament began in the year 1994 :P Making him thirty four during that time roughly. Now, it's obviously the last week or two of school so it's passed his birthday making him thirty five right now J Haha! I'm learning so much about Harry Potter while writing this JUST to keep everything in time with the plot xD SO much to learn even if you're a serious HP fan! :D Anywho! I hope you appreciated learning a bit more about Lilia here, and I hope it wasn't annoying xD I just wanted to sort of hint at her home life and why she is the way she is J Perhaps you'll get to see more in upcoming chapters :D Anywho! Please review and let me know what you think J I enjoy hearing from you all! ))


	11. An Exchange of Confusion

(( Hooray :D Chapter 11! Forgive me for putting it up so late today I was literally working my butt off today at work and then after I was so tired AND obtained a good copy of Goblet of Fire (because mine was busted up TT_TT Didn't realize until recently, shame on me) and instead of simply doing the chapter and sending it back to the library xD I watched the whole thing when I came home and am NOW going through it to correspond certain moments with this chapter SO that you may all read it and enjoy :D I hope you like it as much as previous ones! As usual, please review and let me know what you think J Even if it's a simple "Wow! I love this story!" :D Reviews make me happy! Happy me means more chaptersssss :P

BY the way :P I don't have work tomorrow so to make up for this late chapter I'll FOR SURE put up two chapters tomorrow for my awesome readers ^_^

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the affiliated works. I am so sad to know I don't own Severus Snape specifically…. Just an immense obsession and perverted attraction to the man ;) Mmmm… LOL ))

Sneaking her way through the halls of Hogwarts that night, Lilia clutched Snape's cloak in her hands, bundled up tightly.

It had been a few months since she'd taken it from him outside the lake after she'd been pushed in, and only just now decided to give it back.

It seemed that Snape only had the one, having not been wearing another cloak of similar cut since that day. He'd never requested it back, so Lilia sometimes would forget, only remembering when she returned to her dormitory and found it lying under her pillow. She felt embarrassed by her actions, having hid the cloak under her pillow at night and reaching under, enjoying the thought that she had in her possession, something that belonged to Severus Snape. Something he had give to her… in a way.

She now held it in her arms and searched the halls for him, having not found him in his potions class.

Looking up and down halls, darting behind pillars and doorways when she encountered prefects, she finally managed to spot him up ahead in one of the darker halls. She quickened her pace to catch up to him, knowing that tomorrow would be the final task and then they would be leaving. She had worried that she might not get the chance to return his cloak and thus took the opportunity tonight before she forgot again.

Snape frowned hearing someone behind him and turned to reprimand the student foolish enough to come near him after hours, but paused when he recognized the familiar black hair and almond shaped green eyes. "Miss. Gunner?" he muttered, raising a brow, keeping his back straight, his gaze eyeing her scornfully for being out of bed at such late hours.

She came to a stop in front of him and clutched the clock in front of her, looking up at him and wondered how to say what she wanted to say. She glanced down at the black fabric in her hands, and then held it out to him. "I've been forgetting to return this to you," she said. "I apologize," she said, looking at his cloak-less garments, finding the close fit rather dashing on her professor. Black suited him so well no matter how he chose to wore it, or so Lilia was under the impression of at least.

He looked at it and frowned. "You're only just now choosing to return it to me?" he asked.

She looked up at him quietly. "I… I apologize. I merely forgot to do so up until now, and I know that tomorrow night will be our last here. Everyone leaves afterwards, so… I figured before I forgot I would return it to you," she said.

Snape sighed, rolling his eyes at how foolish she sounded right now, but nonetheless reached out to grasp the fabric when he heard someone coming.

He frowned and motioned for her to be quiet, dimming the lights even more so, then opened up a door near himself, motioning with a jerk of his head for her to get inside and hide if she wanted to avoid detention by anyone.

She understood and went into the small, cramped room, standing in front of the ladder and clutched his cloak to herself. She glowered up at Snape for forcing her into such an undignified position but said nothing as he closed the door on her, his cruel gaze warning her not to make any sound while the other person passed by.

Closing the door, Snape moved away from it and took a few steps forward when he recognized Igor Karkaroff.

"Igor," he addressed him by his first name, being rather familiar with the man. He frowned when he noticed the troubled look upon his face and stopped where he stood. "What is it?" he asked.

Igor frowned and glanced around. "You know what I worry about, Severus," he hissed, nodding to the closet door next to them. "In there. This isn't something for the world to hear," he stated.

Snape bristled at the thought of Igor and him in the small closet-like space while Lilia was in there, but supposed if she were smart enough and heard Igor speaking to him while he opened the door, she would find a space somewhere to hide. He wondered if she could make herself small enough somehow, but truly it was none of his problem now.

He walked back to the door and opened it. "Alright Igor, I suppose of you want privacy, you'll get it," he muttered, just loud enough through the slight opening in the door for Lilia to hopefully hear.

She widened her eyes and quickly crawled down under one of the lower shelves to her right and unfurled Snape's cloak, using it to provide more cover over herself, draping it over her body and tucking it quickly around her before she watched two pairs of legs enter the room. She only hoped Igor wasn't curious enough to have wandering eyes and look down to see an oddly shaped lumpy black fabric draped over anything.

Igor immediately pulled up his sleeve to reveal the dark mark upon his forearm and clenched his teeth, glaring at Snape in anger as well as desperation. "He is back. I know it, and so do you. This… It's a sign Severus, you know what it means as well as I," he said loudly.

He didn't want to talk about this. Not now, not with Lilia right beneath them, hearing every word. The thought of what she might think if she knew his past as a Death Eater was not something that sat well with him. If she learned, ever, he would tell her when he wanted to, but not like this.

He glared at Igor and opened the door again, his hateful glare showing the man he had no desire whatsoever to speak about this, especially not now.

Igor looked at him in anger and turned, seeing Harry Potter. In a swift motion, he pulled his sleeve down and stormed out of the small space, past Potter and down the hall.

Snape watched him go, then paused and frowned seeing Potter, not having realized he was right there, obviously having seen Karkaroff's dark mark. "Potter," he nearly spat, stepping out of the room and glaring at him in irritation as he tried to walk away without a care. "What's your hurry?" he questioned.

When Harry turned away from the retreating sight of Igor, he approached Snape and looked up at him.

"Congratulations, your performance in the Black Lake was inspiring. Gillyweed. Am I correct?" he asked in a very cold and calculated tone as he stood with his hands clasped behind his back, staring Harry down.

"Yes sir," Harry replied, almost unsure of what to reply with.

Snape looked at him calculatingly still, and turned to head back into the store room for evidently, ingredients for potions as well as already completed potions of some sorts. "Ingenious…" he commented as he turned away from Harry. "A rather rare herb, Gillyweed," he stated, climbing up the ladder a few steps into the room and proceeded to search for something upon the shelves. " Not something found in your everyday garden," he pointed out, reaching into one of the shelves and moving a few bottles out of the way, finding what he wanted. "Nor is this…" he finally said, looking at the small bottle. Moving back down the ladder almost gracefully, he turned back to face his seemingly least favourite student and held up the small dark bottle. "Know what it is?" he asked almost mockingly as he raised a brow.

Harry looked at it for a moment and unenthusiastically said, "Bubble juice, sir?"

Lilia clamped a hand over her mouth and nose, not wanting to laugh out of turn or against her will. Not that Harry speaking in such a way to Snape amused her, but she wouldn't dare risk giving away her position now, wanting to continue listening to Snape speak to coldly to another.

"Veritaserum," he said. "Three drops of this and You-Know-Who himself would spill his darkest secrets. The use of it in a student is…" he paused, thinking for a moment how tempting the thought was to sometimes use it on Lilia, wanting to gain access to the truths she denied to anyone, but continued, "Regrettably, forbidden. However…" he paused, eyeing Harry disdainfully, thoughts returning to the real matter at hand, "Should you ever steal from my person stores again, my hand might just slip over your morning pumpkin juice."

Harry immediately shook his head, his eyes widening. "I haven't stolen anything," he said right away.

"Don't lie to me," Snape said slowly and menacingly, leaning a little closer to Harry, clearly irritated by the thought of the fourteen year old stealing from him so easily.

Lilia's eyes widened when he said it so. His voice was so menacing and so… dominant. It didn't even give Harry a chance to deny stealing after Snape said it, clearly the elder of the two having the hands up now. The way he spoke to Harry now, it made Lilia's blood curdle and a shiver travel up her spine… but in a shockingly delicious way.

"Gillyweed may be innocuous," Snape continued, "But boomslang skin, lacewing flies? You and your little friends are brewing Polyjuice Potion, and believe me… I'm going to find out why," he said, raising his voice as he stepped back with a glare and slammed the door to his ingredients storage closed in Harry's face.

He waited a moment, then turned to the right, looking down at the small bit of black fabric peeking out from under one of the shelves. Listening to the retreating steps of Potter, he sighed. "Come out, Miss. Gunner," he said finally.

Lilia pushed the cloak off herself and climbed out, hitting her head softly on the shelf above her once and winced, rubbing her head and then stood, bundling up the cloak again in her hands, looking at it, then up at Snape. She wondered what the whole deal had been with Snape and Igor, but chose to not bother him about it, the quick dismissal Snape had given to the other man clearly displaying his displeasure at talking about the subject.

She swallowed, suddenly realizing how small the space really was. It was comfortable enough for one person, for example when Snape came here on his own to get something, but now… the two of them alone together in the small room was nearly claustrophobic. She held out his clock again and then reached over, brushing the bit of dirt she'd gotten on it from hiding on the floor. "Sorry," she murmured, brushing it away just as he reached for it, their fingers brushing against each others for a brief instantly.

She jerked her hand back and looked up at him in surprise. "Sorry," she blurted again.

Snape looked at her calmly and frowned, reaching for her hand. He grasped it firmly in his own, looking at the small digits enveloped in his own larger and slightly darker ones. His gaze then travelled up her arm, up her neck and to her eyes.

She swallowed, feeling a bit alarmed by this small but entirely new revelation, and felt even more alarmed when he dropped her hand and let it rest upon her shoulder, then slide a little up her neck. She blushed very faintly feeling his thumb slide over the slight dip in her collar bone, then travel up her neck gently again. It was surprising how gentle he could be. She wanted to step back, but found the shelves to be directly behind her, limiting her escape route completely.

Snape raised a brow questioningly at her, his hand sliding up even further to cup her jaw and then her cheek faintly, watching her for any reaction, deciding if she feared him now he would relinquish his desires now and leave her be… but she wasn't denying him from touching her. At least not yet.

She felt her heart rate race crazily inside her at the feeling of his warm hand upon her cheek, and slowly found herself closing her eyes and turning her head into his palm slightly, her hand reaching up to lay over his lightly.

Such curious behaviour… Snape was entirely unaccustomed to such intimate ways of touching another, but something about it felt completely natural, like it was just human instinct to know what to do. How fast to move forward, how firmly to grasp another.

Slowly, Lilia opened her eyes and looked up at him, curiosity filling her eyes at his foreign touch. She could see the cold hard gaze in his eyes. The look that warned her to leave before he tried to take advantage of her. But she saw something else as well. Uncertainty. Uncertainty over what would happen if he continued. What would she say? What would she do? What would she think of him?

The exact same thoughts were spinning rapidly through her mind, but she found no answer. She merely wanted to act and find out, stepping closer to him, her other hand reaching out to touch his shirt front, looking up at him silently, her eyes conveying the fear, confusion, and curiosity at what was going on right now between professor and student.

"I think, it is getting to be far too late for foolish behaviour, Miss. Gunner…" he said suddenly, Lilia immediately freezing where she stood, one hand upon Snape's which still sat upon her cheek and another upon his chest.

Reluctantly, Snape pulled his hand from her and grasped his cloak firmly in his other hand, turning to the door and opening it, then turned to look at Lilia. "Tomorrow is the final task. You should be well rested to enjoy the tournament," he said, stepping out and waiting for her to step out of the small room as well.

Lilia numbly stepped out and listened to the seemingly distant thump of the door closing behind her.

She turned to watch as Snape moved down the hall, probably going ot his own sleeping chamber.

She felt confused over Snape's actions. She'd known what she had wanted at that moment, and the opportunity had presented itself to them both, but for some reason, Snape had turned away from it and released her from his… spell of sorts. She swallowed, her mouth suddenly very dry and turned towards the Slytherin common room, surprised that Snape had willingly reached out to touch her at all, but frustrated that he had just stopped so suddenly.

For the first time she felt so frustrated she wanted to scream.

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Her skin had been like heaven to touch. Her cheeks and neck… they were all so smooth and perfect in his eye. That surprised and uncertain but also sure look in her deep green eyes had been all the encouragement Snape needed in order to do what he had wanted to for some time.

He'd wanted to make her his.

The thought fuelled him somehow inside but repulsed him as well. She was thirteen for goodness sake! A mere child, and he'd wanted to do things to her in that moment that would probably be unforgivable with any person.

He looked at the cloak in his hands as he stood in his room and sighed, lifting it to his nose and closed his eyes, inhaling the sweet scent of Lilia. It smelled faintly of coconut. He figured it must be the scent of whatever she used for her hair each night. Whatever it was, he didn't want that smell to go away. It was so… her.

He growled and tossed the cloak to his bed suddenly and glared at it. A mere child was sitting there in her bed tonight, oblivious to the inner turmoil she had set off inside this fully grown man. One who'd hardened himself to the cruelty of the world. And yet, he here he stood, tormented by visions of a thirteen year old standing in the snow in a dark dress, her hair billowing so perfectly behind her. Visions of her pressed so very close to him in a small cramped room where no one would hear them that night. And yet he'd pushed her away.

He was a fool for thinking he could touch her with her full consent to begin with. He could not allow such a weak moment to happen again. It went against everything he stood for. He would try to protect her, but he would refuse to love her senselessly.

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(( Wootness! :D And there you have it, chapter 11 ^^ Again, sorry about the late delay :D I was busy with work and watching movies -w- As promised, tomorrow I will have at LEAST two chapters up to make up for the late update on this one J I hope you can all forgive me w I hope that this chapter is well liked too! I WAS gonna make more happen but then I was worried it might make everything happen too fast :P and I wanna build everything up a little bit more soooo ya! Tell me what you all think! I love hearing from you and reading reviews :D It makes my day worthwhile lol :P Anyways, nighty night fellow Severus x Lilia lovers ^_^ ))


	12. Final Task

(( Alrighty. SO! For the last chapter I have been getting a lot of good reviews but some concerned ones of people thinking I'm portraying Snape as a pedophile xD *face palm* I assure you he isn't one in this story. When he thinks about wanting to 'do things' to Lilia in the store room I don't mean he wants to like rape her against the wall or something xD I meant he wants to kiss her and touch her (not inappropriately) and those actions IN and of themselves are obviously frowned upon period in the adult world xD Wizarding or not I would think :P Another thing, Snape isn't super attracted to Lilia's body LOL She IS only thirteen might I remind people, which he himself has acknowledged in his thoughts as well J. I even stated at one point she barely has breasts at this point in the story, only the slightest bit of curves :P So no, he doesn't have pedo fantasies or anything of that sort He's attracted to her as a person for the time being xD Not physically, at least not completely J What I merely mean when I portray Snape as attracted to her is how her eyes are green (like Lily Evan's were), he thinks she is pretty, AND he's attracted to how strong she is on the inside, refusing to show weakness which is a big no no in Snape's book J That's all. So I'm sorry if anyone got offended or grossed out xD lol, wasn't my intention but now that I explained it a little better I hope people can understand what I'm doing with Snape and Lilia here at the moment J Anywho, chapter 12 ^^ Please enjoy J

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter or the affiliated works or merchandises or all that hooplah. If I did… Snape's face and bust would be all over my walls and I would most likely never leave me room _ Much to my dad's frustration of course -w- ))

Lilia sat amongst the students in the stands, clapping and waving their flags in excitement over the final task which was to take place today. The three champions were stepping out, Cedric Diggory in first, followed by Fleur Delacour, Victor Krum and then Harry, accompanied by Dumbledore himself, seeing as the others were with their own headmasters or headmistress; or their father in Diggory's case.

Dumbledore took up his position by the podium set up to stand in front of the stands and raised his arms to get everyone's attention, which was only finally gained when he put his wand to his throat. "Silence!" he commanded in a booming voice.

The orchestra died down and the students quieted, moving to sit down quietly as Dumbledore began to speak. "Earlier today, Professor Moody placed The Triwizard Cup deep within the maze. Only he knows its exact position. Now, as Mr. Diggory," he paused when the Hufflepuff's burst into applause, Cedric's father raising his son's arm, much to his embarrassment, "Mr. Potter," he said, earning screams of applause from the Gryffindors's this time, "tied for first position, they will be the first to enter the maze," he explained. "Followed by Mr. Krum," which was followed by manly applause from the Durmstrang boys, "and Miss. Delacour," Dumbledore finished, as the girls from Beauxbatons cheered for their female competitor.

Professor Moody stepped out of the maze calmly as Dumbledore continued his explanation. "The first person to touch the cup, will be the winner!" he announced, the students standing yet again and bursting into cheers.

Lilia stood with Dawn, Ariel and Cimbeline, clapping quietly, but not cheering or smiling. She was merely there with the rest of the student body simply because… there really was nothing else to do. Not one to sit in her room moping around senselessly she figured a bit of fresh air, after the strange occurrence between her and Professor Snape, would do some good for her mind.

"I've instructed the staff to patrol the perimeter," Dumbledore said, resuming his speech yet again. "If at any point a contestant wishes to withdraw from the task, he or she need only send up red sparks with their wand," he explained. With that, he turned to face the four students. "Contestants," he addressed them all, approaching them with a serious expression upon his face. "Gather round," he instructed. "Quickly," he urged as the four approached the headmaster.

When everyone was around him, he leaned close but spoke firmly only to them, telling them most obviously the dangers of the task at hand, too quiet for the students to hear.

Lilia took this moment of quiet to glance over at the teacher's seated near the front and her heart sank a little seeing Snape seated, his usual serious expression as he watched the headmaster and four students calmly. Clearly nothing in his mind had changed after last nights actions.

"Champions!" Dumbledore called out loudly, forcing Lilia to turn her attention back to the old man. "Prepare yourselves," he instructed, the four moving to their appropriate entrances into the maze as those watching rose yet again and clapped, cheering on their selected winners.

Once the four stood ready, Dumbledore nodded. "On the count of three. One!"

With that, Filch blew the cannon, everyone turning to look at him in alarm, Lilia especially one of the few who shot him a scornful glare as she reached up, touching her ringing left ear. 'What an idiot,' she thought as he grinned cheekily and shrugged at Dumbledore. And then the four competitors were sent into the maze which closed itself firmly behind them while the orchestra took up the same cheesy tune and the students cheered.

Once the four contestants were out of sight, Lilia frowned, wondering what moron had ever devised this tournament that no one but the four inside could see. What was going on in there? How could anyone know who got to the cup first? What horrors would be unleashed upon the four inside? No one outside would know because just as it was with the second task, no one watching the events could SEE the events unfolding inside.

Sitting back, Lilia sighed and Dawn giggled. "Bored too?" she asked with a grin.

Lilia shrugged and looked out at the maze when there were a few audible strange groans, though it didn't quirk her interest when they died away, only occasionally sounding again, but never putting a face to the odd noises.

Someone spoke out, saying the maze changed itself to constantly confused those inside. Glancing to follow the voice, Lilia found it was Granger, Potter's female friend speaking to that red haired boy. Weasley, Lilia remembered. Those three were well known enough around the school. She sat back, figuring of course Granger would know what those sounds were. The girl knew everything. It was annoying, really.

Suddenly there was a scream, a female one, from inside the maze and the students fell quiet for a moment, then murmured amongst themselves, speculating about what was occurring inside the maze.

Cimbeline sat up and frowned. "You think it's scary in there?" she asked her friends.

Lilia shrugged, not the least bit disturbed by the sounds and scream from inside the maze. She'd encountered worse as far as she thought, though wouldn't say so, the thought of Cimbeline badgering her, Ariel worrying and Dawn teasing her not exactly a desirable outcome to her.

She watched as the Beauxbatons girls worried, whispering to each other with concerned looks on their face when there wasn't another cry from their chosen competitor.

There was a sudden gust of wind which sent chills down Lilia's back, as it did with those around her she noticed as people shuddered and drew their cloaks or jackets a little tighter around themselves.

Glancing up at the now dying wind, she wondered what was currently going on inside the maze. Was that brief moment of wind something set off inside the maze itself? It must have been because there was another one somewhere off to the side then.

Then there was a strange crashing sound from deep inside of the maze, very far out to the left, Lilia thought, followed by a loud crunching sound like a tree crashing down onto someone. Raising a brow, she wondered what really were the capabilities of the maze.

After some time, people grew quiet in the stands, whispering to each other and talking, deliberating over who they thought would reach the cup and how. Several girls were sitting around looking outright bored as it began to get dark and there were no more sounds from inside the maze.

And then there were Harry and Cedric. In Harry's grasp was the Triwizard Cup. With that, it was over and Mr. Weasley and Mr. Diggory stood up together, cheering and applauding along with everyone else over the return of the two Hogwart's students.

But Harry wasn't standing and proudly admitting his victory. In fact, he was clutching onto Cedric, still on the ground, in a pathetic way almost. And then Fleur screamed.

Lilia turned to look at the older blonde girl and then back at Cedric with a frown, a very sick feeling rising up inside her. He couldn't be. That would just be too much right now, and too cruel for everyone at the end of the final task.

"Harry!" Dumbledore was rushing across the ground to Harry and crouched down, trying to pull the boy off the other, the music dying down as people quieted, curiosity dominating as there was a huge fuss as to what was happening while Harry refused to let go.

"For God's sake, Dumbledore, what's happened?" Cornelius Fudge asked in alarm as he ran over as well.

"He's back!" he suddenly exclaimed in a devastated voice when he looked at Dumbledore. "He's back," he repeated. "Voldemort's back," he sobbed while Dumbledore stayed close, trying to calm him while Gryffindor students came down from the stands to congratulate their winner, suddenly quieted by this statement. "Cedric, he asked me to bring his body back. I couldn't leave him. Not there," he sobbed.

Lilia swallowed, listening to this along with the rest of the student population.

"It's alright, Harry," Dumbledore assured him, looking at him in concern. "It's alright," he assured the distraught young boy. "He's home, you both are," he told him gently while he continued to sob.

Lilia stood next to Dawn, glancing to the right when she saw Snape, along with McGonagall approached, frowning when Fudge ran over. "Keep everybody in their seats. A boy has just been killed," he said ominously.

Lilia's thoughts were confirmed, and clearly so were the others as they looked aghast by this turn of events, Cimbeline even needing to sit down at this news.

Lilia looked at her and then looked up to see Snape looking at her in worry for a mere moment, then turning away quickly to talk to some of the other teachers, then went to Dumbledore's side while Fudge told him the body needed to be moved because there were too many people around. Impressionable students nonetheless.

"Let me through!" shouted someone and Lilia turned to see Mr. Diggory pushing through the crowd in a haste to get to where Harry was, finally getting there and seeing it was his son that had been killed. "That's my son!" he cried out in agony. "That's my boy!" he wailed over the silenced crowd. "It's my boy!" he continued to wail.

Lilia watched wide eyed along with everyone else, clutching her black cloak closed near her chest, watching in curiosity, trying to get a view but failing from where she stood still in the stands, not allowed to leave, teacher's blocking the way.

She glanced over to see Professor Moody helping Harry up and escorting him away from the emotional display. She watched them head back towards the castle, a few Gryffindors following miserably, knowing there was nothing they could do, and clearly not watning to be there either.

"No!" Mr. Diggory wailed into the night in agony over the loss of his son.

"Was Potter injured in some way?" Snape asked with a serious expression, standing next to McGonagall again.

Minerva looked up at Snape and then shrugged, looking at Dumbledore for an answer.

"He had a gash in his forearm," he said suddenly. "He needs to be looked after as well. He may not be able to handle tonight's events well on his own," he said, looking around for him. "Where did he go?" he asked.

Snape looked at Dumbledore. "With Professor Moody I believe. I saw him escorting Mr. Potter out of here, most likely to calm him down," he said calmly, though there was a secondary tone to his voice.

Dumbledore nodded and gathered himself, Snape and McGonagall, all three heading immediately to the school to get Harry.

Lilia watched them go, then blinked when Snape glanced back and told her with his eyes alone to stay there with everyone else. Not like she needed telling, but it comforted her a little to know Snape displayed concern to come degree over her safety right now.

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"Expelliarmus!" Dumbledore cried out after bursting open the door. His disarmed Moody after hearing his threats through the other side of the door and ran right to him, keeping him in the chair he'd fallen into, flying across the room. He pointed a wand at him and gripped him by the throat while Harry stood off to the side behind the strange trunk. "Severus!" he called out.

In came Snape and McGonagall immediately behind Dumbledore, Snape producing the same small bottle of potion he'd threatened Harry with the previous night. He opened it and poured a generous dose into Moody's mouth.

"That's it, take it," Dumbledore said in obvious anger. Once Moody swallowed it and it had taken effect, Dumbledore commenced with his interrogation. "Do you know who I am?" he growled.

"Albus Dumbledore," Moody snarled.

"Are you Alastor Moody? Are you?" he demanded to know, clutching his shirt front with surprising force,

"No," the impostor answered.

"Is he in this room?" he asked and glared. "Is he in this room?" he repeated, louder.

The Moody impersonator involuntarily glanced at the mysterious trunk and in a moment, Snape swooped over to it, inspecting how to open it.

"Harry, away from there!" Dumbledore ordered, the boy moving quickly and efficiently out of the way of the adults.

The three professors stood together, Harry moving to stand behind them with McGonagall's aid.

In a swift motion, Snape wordlessly unlocked the trunk and it swung open, revealing inside another series of trunks within it. Cautiously, Snape glanced at Dumbledore and then approached with him as well as Minerva McGonagall, peering inside to see Alastor Moody sitting at the very bottom of the very deep trunk. A prisoner.

"You alright Alastor?" Dumbledore asked.

"I'm sorry, Albus."

Snape narrowed his eyes in distaste at the weakened state of the other.

"That's Moody. But then who's-?"

Snape glanced at Harry and then flicked open Moody's flask, taking a wiff and frowned, looking at Dumbledore. "Polyjuice Potion," he said flatly.

Dumbledore looked at him seriously. "Now we know who's been stealing from your stores, Severus," he said gravely.

Severus turned to look at Harry who was watching him and narrowed his eyes, not even making any effort to apologize for accusing the student.

"We'll get you up in a minute," Dumbledore told Alastor when he looked back into the trunk, to which the real Moody merely groaned in response to.

With that, the impersonator made a sickening sound as he began to revert back to his true form.

Snape moved slightly away from the trunk and turned to look at the man who had allowed for so much trouble to happen tonight. It was unnerving to watch and the distasteful look upon Snape's face was enough to convey that to anyone if they were even only hearing it being told.

His real identity was finally revealed. Barty Crouch Jr.

Harry leaned down to see his face better when he suddenly lunged at the boy. But Dumbledore stopped him, pushing him back into the chair with Severus's help.

"Barty Crouch Jr." Dumbledore confirmed.

Barty smirked where he sat, seeming tot not care about the wand pointed in his face threateningly. "I'll show you mine if you show me yours," he said wickedly, pulling his sleeve up to reveal the dark mark.

Dumbledore looked at it wide eyed and then grasped Harry's arm. "Your arm, Harry," he said, pulling up the sleeve to reveal the deep gash in the exact same spot.

"You know what this means, don't you?" asked Barty Jr. "He's back. Lord Voldemort has returned," he grinned maliciously, his tongue flicking out habitually.

Snape felt growing concern now, remembering he'd made sure to convey to Lilia to stay where she was. The thought that she was on her own out there with this fact so fresh made him wonder if she was actually alright or was she frightened by it? Was she going into hysterics as some students had? He doubted it, but he still found himself itching to get back out there and make sure with his own eyes that she was alright.

Harry looked at Dumbledore worriedly. "I'm sorry sir, I couldn't help it," he stated.

"Send an owl to Azkaban. I think they'll find they're missing a prisoner," he said seriously, keeping his eyes on Crouch Jr. With that, both he and Harry, followed by McGonagall turned to leave.

"I'll be welcomed back like a hero!" he exclaimed.

Dumbledore glanced back at him. "Perhaps," he said. "Personally, I've never had much time for heroes."

Barty Crouch Jr. moved to get up but was stopped by Snape's wand in his face. He sat back, grinning wickedly but his face fell when he saw the murderous look on Snape's face and when he felt his wand stabbing threateningly into his cheek.

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After Snape finished with Barty Jr. he proceeded to find Lilia and make sure that she was doing fine. He doubted she would be shaken up by this, but he could never be sure, really.

When he found her, she was seated near one of the entrances to the school. He approached and she looked up from her daydream while looking outside, to see him coming towards her.

He was relieved to see she seemed fine. There was no threat whatsoever for now to her, but he had worried how she might take the death of a fellow student because of Lord Voldemort. From what he could see, she was unshaken by it at all.

She stood right away and looked up at him, "Professor," she said in slight relief.

He frowned, coming to stand immediately in front of her and touched her face briefly. "Are you alright, Miss. Gunner?" he asked, clearly involuntarily concerned for her.

She looked at him in confusion. "I'm fine," she said cautiously.

He looked down at her and frowned. "Then why are you still here?"

She shook her head. "I… I don't know…" she said softly. "I thought you wanted to see me for something," she said, suddenly realizing she had no inclination whatsoever or real reason to think Snape wanted to see her.

"I don't believe I voiced any reason to meet you here. I think it be best of you go to bed," he said flatly.

She looked up at him and stepped out of the way as he moved to pass by her.

'What an utterly hot and cold, confusing man', Lilia thought to herself as she glowered and turned to go to the Slytherin common room and back to all the gossiping and hysterical students.

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"Today we acknowledge… a really terrible loss," Dumbledore said solemnly to the Hogwarts student body, accompanied by the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang visitors. "Cedric Diggory was, as you all know, exceptionally hard-working, infinitely fair-minded and most importantly, a fierce, fierce friend," he said, stnaindg before the student body, professors, headmasters and headmistresses included. "Now I think, therefore, you have the right to know exactly how he died." With that, Dumbledore stepped forward and seriously said, "You see, Cedric Diggory was murdered. By Lord Voldemort!" he said loudly and clearly. "The Ministry of Magic does not wish me to tell you this," he continued. "But not to do so, I think, would be an insult to his memory," he said.

Lilia watched from amongst the students as Dumbledore gave yet another one of his speeches, the students watching silently from their seats.

"Now the pain… we all feel at this dreadful loss reminds me, and reminds us, that while we may come from different places and speak in different tongues… our hearts beat as one," he said. "In light of recent events, the bonds of friendship we made this year will be more important than ever. Remember that, and Cedric Diggory will not have died in vain. You remember that and we'll celebrate a boy who was… kind and honest and brave and true, right to the very end."

Wit that, Dumbledore concluded his speech dedicated to the memory of Cedric Diggory and everyone rose silently, proceeding back to their common rooms.

Lilia looked up as they walked back, realizing now they had to pack their trunks and things, then go out to the station to proceed home.

Home… more like hell in Lilia's opinion. She would choose to stay here at Hogwarts for the summer's if she could, but there was no such luck.

Once in her dormitory, she watched other girls around her beginning to pack together, sighing softly. She moved to sit on the edge of her bed and looked at her still empty trunk. She eventually got up and began to pack slowly and unenthusiastically for home.

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(( Yay! Chapter 12 J I hope you guys liked this one ^_^ Not TOO much happened between Snape and Lilia in this one, because a lot was taken up by the last task xD BUT I hope it was decently done either way J Chapter 13 will be up later on today ^_^ I promiseeeee lol. Please remember to comment and review ;) ))


	13. Going Home

(( Alrighty! One year done for these two :P More chapters to come and yes they will continue to relate to the original plot line J I hope you are all enjoying the story so far ^_^ I'm really liking the reviews I'm getting so far :D ))

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Snape looked out from one of the windows as he headed down the hall to his potions classroom to retrieve some ingredients and items there.

The students were all saying their goodbyes to the foreign visitors as well as each other now that they too were headed home. Of course, that wasn't what was on Snape's mind.

How did she feel right now? He wondered. He wanted to know how she was dealing with returning home today. What were her thoughts on having to board the Hogwarts Express and heading back to London in order to go home to her accursed muggle father who took pleasure in doing nothing but torturing the poor girl who was so different from him and the entire family.

He'd tried to question Lilia once about her mother. Perhaps she could go live with her if it was so terrible living at home on her own, but she'd swiftly burned that idea with her words, stating her mother had died several years ago. She'd never elaborated on the circumstances regarding her death but her tone had told him enough that he should not bother her about it.

He paused to stand by one of the windows and crossed his arms, looking out at the students in the outer foyer below. He wondered if she was even out there mingling with other students and saying her own introverted ways of goodbye to the people she knew. Like that Pyrites girl, or the Cuffe girl.

There she was. She was standing leaning against the wall of one of the outside corridors, her arms crossed in a saddening defensive way even if she wasn't aware of it. But he was. He was sorely tempted to go down to her and tell her she was allowed to come and live with him during the summer if she was so afraid of her father, but that would be so far out of line he would have to curse himself many times over just for being stupid enough to even ask her.

"Severus," came a familiar old but wise voice.

The black clad wizard turned and looked at his headmaster, Albus Dumbledore silently from where he stood leaning against the window sill. "Headmaster," he acknowledged calmly.

"Am I under the mistaken impression that you were actually fondly looking at the students as they prepare to leave?" he chuckled, approaching calmly, his hands folded behind his back as he moved to look out the window next to Snape.

Snape narrowed his eyes at Dumbledore and looked out the window coldly again. "You were right. You're under the wrong impression," he muttered.

Dumbledore looked at Snape with a knowing twinkle in his eyes. "My mistake. A particular student then, is it?" he asked. He smiled slightly and looked out the window again. "A Miss. Lilia Gunner, am I correct?" he asked.

Snape tensed slightly but said nothing.

"It would be most unwise to associate yourself too much with a student. I understand she is in your house and so you have a duty to help her while she attends Hogwarts, however…" he paused and thought of what he wanted to say before he said it. "If she does not ask you specifically for help, then you are unable to act upon her aid outside of school boundaries… you know this, Severus. What happens to her is her own business unless she chooses to make it yours as well," he explained, looking up at Snape.

He was about to remark that in a way it was his business, but Dumbledore raised his hand for him to quiet.

"She has told you part of what she has been through. In this way, you are informed of her situation, but she has not asked you to help her and made no suggestion of needing it for the time being, so until that time comes, you are required to stay neutral to her outside of school," he told him, looking over his half moon spectacles at Snape imploringly.

Severus frowned and then looked at Lilia again, but once more, said nothing.

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Lilia watched as the Beauxbatons girls and Durmstrang boys mingled within the crowds of Hogwarts students, getting mailing addresses so everyone could keep in touch.

She saw no one whom she wanted to associate herself with outside of school. She had gotten to know Dawn, Ariel and Cimbeline this year, but saw no reason to address them as friends. She also saw no reason to mail them over the summer. They didn't speak that often now that she thought about it. They were always gathered together in their group, but she seemed to be just on the brink of the edge of it, even if they included her in the discussion or invited them to sit with her. She just didn't fit in with them. She didn't really fit in with anyone.

At least other people laughed and joked around. But she couldn't. Her spirit and happiness and her entire childhood had been torn from her by her wicked father and she would forever hate him for it. She could not cry or laugh or feel completely at ease with anyone because there was that hatred deep within her heart, fused to her soul that would forever weigh her down to some extent and lead her to hate others and mistrust people for the rest of her life. But she wanted it that way. She didn't want to learn to smile and get to know people only to be ripped apart on the inside by them and their cruel or stupid ways. It seemed an utter waste of her time. Her father had let her die so much on the inside that even when she realized Cedric had been killed by Lord Voldemort… she hasn't responded. Not at all. There was no fear anymore, no sadness, no anger at the dark lord; nothing. Her body knew how to react, but inside she felt nothing… and that was how she preferred it. Numbed to things she felt were useless and futile to care about.

After the visiting students left, she proceeded out to the train with the other students and stood waiting to board behind the others so they could go home.

Once on the train, she went to find somewhere to sit alone.

She found a small cabin and stepped inside, closing the door to it and sitting down with a relieved sigh. Closing her eyes, she tilted her head back and then opened them to look out the window at the view of Hogwarts from her seat. She would miss the school. Specifically, the safety she felt there. But nonetheless, she was going home now and had to deal with her father for another two months, regretfully. It was moments like this when she wished sometimes she had made friends, so she could escape to their houses for the summer but found that it would be cruel. People had been cruel to her at home, and she would not be cruel to another person in that way. Use them to have a place to stay and then reject them at the first sign of niceness… it wasn't who she was, so she distanced herself from anyone she could to avoid the entire mess itself.

Once the train started to move, she felt a lurch in her stomach, thinking for a moment about Snape and wishing she had at least said goodbye to the man.

After the train had been driving for some time, she heard the door to her cabin slide open and was surprised to see the Weasley twins entering the cabin.

"Oh! Sorry miss, didn't realize it was taken already," one of the two chuckled. She didn't know which was which.

"Mind if we join you? The others are a bit crowded," the other said with a grin.

She looked at the two of them and then shrugged, nodding to the seat across from her own.

With that, they sat down and chuckled. "So, what's your name?" one of the twins asked.

"What year you in?" the other asked.

Lilia looked at the two sceptically, already finding them extremely aggravating, feeling sorely tempted to leave. "Lilia Gunner," she answered quietly at last. "Third year, going into fourth after the summer."

"Aww, I think she's shy Fred," one said.

"I think so, George," the other chuckled. "No worries, we won't bother you much. You just look familiar," Fred said with a smile.

George scratched his head and looked at Fred. "Does she? I thought so too," he said and chuckled.

Lilia raised a brow and turned to look out the window.

And then Fred gasped, clapping his hands together. "You look similar to the girl I saw coming out of Snape's room!" he exclaimed suddenly.

Lilia's blood froze instantly and she looked at him, hoping her face wasn;t giving her away. "Sorry?" she asked.

George nodded. "Yea! Your hair looks like this girl we both saw coming out of Snape's room one morning. Was highly unexpected, wouldn't you say, Fred?"

Fred nodded. "It was indeed," he nodded.

She found it hard to swallow and narrowed her eyes. "So you two were the one who started that rumour a while ago?" she asked.

Fred shook his head. "Not a rumour. We seen it with our own eyes," he stated with a proud nod.

George nodded in agreement. "We did."

She looked at the two and instantly decided she despised the both of them for being so ridiculously stupid.

"Was really disturbing quite frankly," said George. "We just told a few people and they instantly turned it into some scandal. Really! Why the dirty thoughts? The poor girl had a towel with blood on it, it was obvious enough she got hurt somehow and Snape was nice enough to help her in a time of need," he said with a dramatic nod.

Fred nodded. "Yea! I thought it was sick of people to turn it into some crazy, perverted affair Snape and some student. She looked so small, I mean Severus Snape is a scary and creepy man, but I doubt he would be THAT creepy, said Fred.

George chuckled. "I agree," he said. "We simply stated what we saw and everyone else turned it into a rumour. Ridiculous really," said George with a dramatic huff.

Lilia glanced back and forth between the two of them and decided maybe they weren't so horrendously awful after all. Annoying for certain, and quite possibly stupid, but not horrible all together. If they didn't realize she WAS in fact the girl to leave Snape's room then she wouldn't go into it.

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Platform 9 ¾. Lilia stood looking up at the sign reluctantly and then sighed, looking at the wall she had to go through in order to go home. She would rather fling herself onto the train track and be run over than see that horrendous man again. But then that would give him victory and she refused.

Running through the wall, she appeared on the busy platform in London, clutching the hand bar of her cart. She pushed it ahead and looked around, not seeing him anywhere and for a moment she had a false sense of hope.

She went outside to wait, still seeing no sign of the wicked man, but then she saw that familiar head of light brown hair and those cruel green eyes. His pale skin which she'd inherited along with his eyes stood out to her like a beacon upon a dark street. He wore jeans and a buttoned up shirt with a comfortable jacket on top. Standing near the family car, there he was. Her father. Alex Gunner.

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(( Hooray! Chapter 13 :D I hope you liked it, even if it's short J After I watch movies with my mom and sis I'll see if I can get chapter 13 up for tonight just for fun J Please review and comment! I greatly enjoy hearing from you all :D I love knowing what you think! :D ))


	14. Torture

(( Okie doke, so this chapter will be focusing a lot more on Lilia and her home life which is obviously non magical :P seeing as her father is a totally crazed Muggle _ . This means of course it will deviate much farther in feeling from the original Harry Potter feel and the way things go on at Hogwarts J I hope you can open your mind up to that and enjoy the chapter for what it is ^^ Please let me know what you think :D I love getting reviews! :D Enjoy! ))

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"Piss off," she snarled as he came close to her.

It had been a little over a month since Lilia had returned home from Hogwarts and things most definitely had not changed.

The moment she'd come home, he'd managed to steal her wand from her and keep it away from her, knowing it posed an enormous threat to him if he allowed for her to keep it on her person while she stayed at home.

Alex Gunner was no average muggle though. He was a doctor. A man who reasoned by science, not magic or unexplained phenomenon. He believed there was a reason for everything and oh how he hated not knowing how Lilia possessed the power she did. Power he did not have or control.

Unfortunately, as a doctor, he knew more than the average muggle when it came to certain topics and used those knowledge's to his advantage in order to try and gain control over Lilia or try to understand why she had the power he didn't. It drove him mad sometimes, and at other times he admired the energy and power she had. But most of the time he used it against her… to hurt her.

And the more he hurt her, the more she despised him and wanted to see him rot in hell. A very close knit family…

"Pig! Get the bloody hell away from me!" Lilia screamed as he grabbed her by the waist and picked up the screaming and kicking child. "Let go of me!" she screamed, pounding her fists against his back.

Alex Gunner winced, but bore the brunt of her tantrum and strapped her down to a chair he had in the kitchen, then smirked, setting a meal down in front of her and spooned some up. He then smirked wickedly and held the spoon to her mouth. "Open up, dear," he said cruelly. "If you want to act like an animal around me, I'll gladly treat you like one," he whispered into her ear, pressing the spoon to her lips.

She glared furiously at him and spat the food out at him viciously, her eyes full of hatred for the man who stood before her. "You fucking lecher, get the hell away from me," she snarled viciously, acid practically dripping from her mouth as she spoke to her father.

Alex chuckled and stood. "You want to hungry again?"

"I would gladly rather starve than eat the poison you prepare for me," she spat.

He grinned darkly and shrugged, tilting the chair back and leaning close to her, smirking.

She felt her blood boil with rage, her father thinking he could get so close to her and get away with it so easily. She spat right into his face nastily, grinding her teeth as she looked at him.

He glared and wiped the spit away, then smirked, his eyes roaming a little lower along her body.

She felt her cheeks flare in fury as well as shame as he reached out, running a hand up her stomach, stopping just beneath her breasts which for some accursed reason chose this summer to appear, forming into at least a B-cup, much to Alex Gunner's delight. "Hmmm… you look delightful all tied down like this, dear…" he purred lecherously, his eyes darkening as he looked at her.

She screamed in outrage and flung herself around wildly, doing whatever she could to get out of her binds. But failing.

She knew what was coming. He would hurt her again. Again and again until she could barely see straight anymore. And he did; starting with a vicious slap to the face, then taking her from the straps and beating her literally to the floor.

Not once did she cry or scream for him to stop. She refused to satisfy him with her begs for mercy. She would take anything he dealt with a heartbreakingly empty expression.

"Stop me!" he shouted at her, backhanding her across the face once more as he picked her up by her hair, looking at her furiously. "Where's your filthy magic now, you freak?" he snarled into her ear. When there was no response he smirked. "Silent, huh?" he taunted, suddenly sliding a hand under her shirt without warning, reaching her bra.

She gasped and shoved him away suddenly, prying his hand off her and bit his finger mercilessly until he hit her hard enough over the head she was essentially forced to let go.

She scrambled to her feet and ran towards the door, her father managing to grab her from behind and laughing cruelly. "You think you can outrun me, darling?" he snarled, trying to tug her shirt up again, knowing it was one thing she would NOT be silent to.

She screamed angrily and turned around, clawing him in the face viciously and scrambled up the stairs, almost making it into her room when she felt a heavy weight crash into her side and pin her down on her bedroom floor. She looked up in alarm as her father straddled her with relative ease, obviously stronger than her physically as well as being faster and bigger. "Get off!" she screamed at him in fear and outrage. She would torture him with the Cruciatus curse as soon as she got a hold of her wand, then have him murder himself slowly and painfully if she ever got the chance.

He sneered in her face. "What's the matter, love? Don't like me touching you?" he asked tauntingly as he reached for her pants, undoing the top button.

She shook her head furiously, trying to get him off, prying his hands away which she was failing miserably at. He managed to get her pants undone and grasped them, just about to tug them off.

"Get off!" she screamed, a burst of energy throwing him off before he could do much else to her.

Mr. Gunner ended up at the end of the corridor, hitting his head on the wall behind him roughly. He glared furiously at her, but stopped before he could try to attack her or assault his daughter again. What he saw was absolutely brilliant.

She was seated on the floor, her legs sprawled out limply in front of her where they had been when she'd been pinned down by him. Her arms lay limply by her sides, and her eyes stared ahead, unfocused. It was extremely unnerving and sent a chill up his spine, as if she was some lifeless doll seating upon her own floor. He wondered if he'd provoked her too far this time.

One of her notebooks from school was circling her head, along with the only teddy bear she had, and a few other knick nacks from her bedroom. They moved so slowly, and she seemed unaware of their presence as much as his. It just felt wrong.

He reached out to touch her again, hesitating a moment before he touched her and when nothing happened, he grasped her arm.

The toys and things circling Lilia's head suddenly stopped and dropped to the floor around her, her eyes widening. She then looked up at her father wide eyed, fear in her gaze.

He looked at her as well and then grinned wickedly. "Fascinating…" he murmured before closing her bedroom door and locking it from the outside.

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She sat in her room, trembling faintly upon her bed. 'A bath… I just want a bath and to be left alone…' she thought to herself.

Lilia's green eyes watched the crack beneath her door as he father passed by again.

It had been two weeks since the incident. The near assault incident. He'd pretty much left her alone, but he'd also not let her leave since then. He'd beaten her so badly that bruises were all over her body and her muscles would go into spasms on their own, like they had just done now, her body still trembling from the effects.

She found herself wondering what Snape would do if he could see the torture she had gone through this summer. Being nearly strangled by her father, her powers tested to their bloody limits for her father's own enjoyment and tests. The near drowning, the beatings, the vicious things he told her afterwards or during. And through all of it, she had never shed a tear. She'd even smirked at him a few times, the sight of her grinning in such a hateful way at him sending chills up his spine every time she did it, pure wicked thoughts running through her head when she looked up at him from beneath her tangle of greasy black hair and bruised face.

He had nearly broken her this summer… and all Lilia could think was how intense her desire was to return at once to Hogwarts and escape the hell she had been living in. She supposed with only three more weeks, she could wait. If he hadn't killed her now or driven her to suicide by this point she knew he never would and so there was no reason to worry about that, though sometimes at night she welcomed the idea of just slipping away. And then she would remember him. Severus Snape. He was the only thought that kept her sane. The thought that there was someone out in the world who was concerned for her safety almost brought tears to her eyes, but they never came through. Sometimes they nearly did though. Not tears of sadness or fear, but relief; knowing that in three weeks she wouldn't have to put up with her fathers insufferable ways. He was all that kept her sane in this insane household.

She looked up when she heard someone unlocking the door and tensed when she saw her father. "Go away," she said through clenched teeth.

He glared at her. "Get up you filthy animal. You need a shower," he grumbled, standing at the door to her room and waiting for her to come out.

When she did, he walked her to the bathroom and closed the door after handing her a towel.

She looked at the door and glared, locking it immediately, undressing and getting in. The hot water was so incredible soothing on her skin that she almost forgot how horrible it would be again when she got out. No matter… he couldn't do much worse to her anyways.

When she finished washing off her body and hair, she stepped out and wiped away the fog on the mirror, almost exclaiming in fright at the sight she saw before her. She had been beaten nearly to a bloody pulp. It was no wonder her father hadn't come to see her for a week, only passing food through the door so she didn't somehow end up dying on him.

But she never ate it anyway, having stashed a bit of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans in her room ages ago. She never trusted the food her father gave her. He'd laced it a few times with some form of narcotics and then performed god knew what sort of tests on her while she was half conscious. Since then, she would refuse to eat food he'd prepared unless she had made it herself under his watch whenever she was able to.

She looked at her reflection still, amazed she wasn't completely black and blue. She swallowed and reached up to touch the bruise forming on her cheek. She winced and then frowned, hating her father even more so for that moment. Mostly, because the first thought to enter her mind had been that she was glad Snape couldn't see her in such a dreadful state.

When she got dressed in fresh clothes, she opened the door, stepping out.

"Fill the tub up, love," her father called out. "I'd like a bath now," he said from one of the other rooms.

She glared at nothing in particular and turned back into the bathroom, starting the tap and putting the stopper in. She then looked over her shoulder and saw the empty hall. She reached for the hot water tap and turned it up to full blast, letting hot water fill up most of the tub. She then filled the rest with warm water so that it would be quite the shock for Alex Gunner when he got in for his bath.

She straightened up and brushed her hands against her pants, turning to go back to her room and gasped, seeing a hand grabbed her face and push her backwards. She felt a firm hand grab her hair and then bend her down forcefully and so suddenly she had no time to register what was happening until she felt the blast of horrifyingly hot water slap her right into the face without warning.

She opened her mouth under the water and shut her eyes tightly, screaming in pain, her arms flying around wildly above the water, then trying to push herself out of the tub while her father kept her head firmly in the tub, her face pressed against the bottom of it.

He gritted his teeth against the scalding hot water, crying out finally when his arm burned severely. "You little bitch!" he shouted. "You think you can scare me? You think you're smarter than me?" he shouted in outrage. "You think your mother died just like that?" he screeched, his eyes wild with anger as he watched her struggle under the water. He pulled her head up and she screamed in agony at the cold air hitting her severely pained face. "You think your mother just died by accident? She was driven mad by the thought of her daughter being a bloody freak!" he shouted, shoving her face back into the water mercilessly again, holding her down for a very long time. "Come on you freak! Breath! I know you can do it!" he shouted.

Just when Lilia threatened to lose consciousness, her lungs aching severely she did it. She used an immense amount of magic to not only spare herself but to hurt Alex as well. The water was just suddenly… not there, but above them, each individual droplet very much visible to Alex who kneeled right beneath it all. And then it had fallen upon him, scalding him as well in a moment, causing him to scream in outrage as well as pain from the shock of the hot water. She had tricked him! He would have knocked her out himself if it weren't for what he already knew was happening to her.

Hhe'd forced her to do magic without her wand, and it was marvellous to watch her body suddenly begin to convulse against her will at the immense power it took to do such a spell without the use of a wand.

Lilia could feel herself slipping away as her body tensed and convulsed on the bathroom floor, finally falling unconscious against her will as she looked up at the wicked gaze of her cruel father.

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She applied the aloe lotion to her face, wincing when it touched her sore skin. Her face, arms and shoulders had been scalded by the hot water when she awoke a few minutes prior. She'd felt relief with her cheek on the cold wet floor, her father nowhere in sight, but the rest of her ached. Her father had tried to drown her again, but this time as punishment it seemed for trying to fill his bath with hot water. Or perhaps he'd already planned on doing it to her to begin with. Either way, it had been done, but she'd burned him with the water as well. Even if he had only been scalded for a moment, she still felt satisfaction at getting him with it somehow.

She sighed, looking at her reflection in her bedroom mirror. Her skin was not only bruised and cut up now, but red from the hot water she'd nearly been drowned in. She glared at her reflection, knowing there was still two more weeks of hell that she was going to go through before she could return to school and be safe from her father yet again. Two more weeks until she could see Snape again. She only hoped her wounds and bruises would have faded by then so Snape wouldn't secretly fuss over her. Not that she thought he ever would, but just the thought of him seeing her all banged up repulsed her. It made her feel weak in front of him; helpless… and she didn't want to be seen by him as weak.

She sighed, climbing into her bed and pulled up the covers to her neck, looking around at her empty room.

She wished her mother could somehow come back and just help her get away. She missed her dearly… but knew there was no hope. She had gone a long time ago and Lilia was left on her own to fend off her father's threatening and dangerous ways by herself.

The only thought she had was that some day she might finally be free of all this torture and be able to get away from the monster she called her father for good. Either way, that was a fantasy of the distant future and for the time being, Lilia had to keep herself strong and get through the next two weeks before she could be allowed to return to school to finally get away from Alex Gunner for another ten months.

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(( Alrighty! I will admit that chapter was a BIT bumpy to get through but again, Lilia's father IS very all over the place, being torturous one moment and then fascinated and intrigued the next, plus he's a muggle AND a doctor! Magic essentially doesn't exist in this guys mind so he;s just totally cruel and insane when it comes to Lilia :S SO keep that in mind whenever he's brought up J I hope you guys liked the way you get to see more into Lilia's home life in this chapter. A bit rough, no? xD Now you know why she hates people and doesn't trust anyone :P She really never got the chance to xD But anywho! PLEASE review and let me know what you thought of this chapter O_O I'm really not sure how people will have taken to this one so I would like to hear any opinions you have on it or the story as a whole J I like hearing from you all! It gives me more motivation to write :D ))


	15. Year Four

(( Woot woot :D Chapter 15 J I'm glad from what I can see that people admired the previous chapter, for the chance of getting ot see a better perspective of what life is like on Lilia's end. It made me chuckle over the use of swear words particularly xD Anyways, here we go with chapter 15 J Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I unfortunately do not own Harry Potter or any of the related works or characters L How highly disappointing))

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"You can find your way from here, I trust?" asked David. Lilia's uncle.

In her opinion he was just as foul as her father for not helping her when he could clearly see how badly damaged she had gotten by his brother.

She knew Alex had told David that she was deranged and required mental aid for the majority of the year. He'd told her sometimes he had no choice but to restrain her or beat her until she calmed down from one of her episodes while at home. In David's mind, he figured London was better off without her. For that, she would always hate him as well.

She grabbed her trolley and nodded, then stood, looking at him expectantly.

He frowned and was about to ask what she wanted when he remembered. He produced her wand, just a fancy looking stick in his opinion and handed it to her. "There, now off with you," he told her firmly, nodding towards the entrance to the train station.

Glaring hatefully at him, she pushed her trolley ahead and headed to the entrance without a goodbye or even a look back.

With that, David climbed into the car and drove away, grateful to be rid of her company.

Lilia was relieved that her father had not accompanied them to the station. He knew she would sorely tempted to murder him on the spot if she had the chance, and so felt threatened when she had her wand back on her before headed back to school. Hence… why he never saw her off; not that she would want him to. The less she saw of that wicked man, the better.

Walking through the train station gave her a feeling of elation, finally headed back to a semi-free world, where she could do what she was able to do without being tested so viciously or being considered a freak… at least, not for the reason she was considered so at home.

She made her way to the archway between platforms 9 and 10, pausing to look around, and then rushed ahead, gliding effortlessly through the wall into a moment of darkness which terrified her and then she was there, upon Platform 9¾ at last. Standing for a moment with a feeling of relief, she looked at the large steam engine train and felt a moment of relief to know she was heading back to a full ten months of safety. And Snape.

Lilia felt eager to see his head of jet black hair and cold, hardened gaze yet again. She felt he was the only genuine man she could trust with at least a bit of her privacy after last year.

She got her luggage onto the train at last, then once everything was set in it's proper place amongst the other students trunks, she turned and proceeded into the body of the train, looking for a cabin to sit in. She moved to sit down in an empty cabin, turning her head to look out the window quietly, watching as the train began to leave the station and head out towards Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

After a minute or so, she heard someone opening the door to her cabin and swore in her mind, hoping it didn't just so happen to be those two infernal twins. To her surprise, there stood the three possibly most famous students within Hogwarts school. Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley.

"Oh, sorry, do you mind if we join you?" asked Harry. "The other cabins seem to be full," he explained.

Lilia shrugged and nodded to the opposite seat without a word.

The three fifth years filed into the cabin and the boys sat across from Lilia while Hermione joined Lilia on the other side, her cat in tow, a book in her hands.

"Hello," she said politely, looking Lilia up and down curiously. "And you are?" she asked, not having seen Lilia at school.

"Lilia Gunner," she said quietly.

"Ah, I'm Hermione-"

"Granger, I know…" Lilia finished for her, glancing up at the wild haired girl.

Ron looked back and forth between the two and raised his brows in surprise, not exactly getting a friendly and open vibe from Lilia.

Neither was Harry it seemed who right away turned to look out the window while Hermione stuck her nose in her book.

After some time, Harry fell asleep, bored by the scenery he'd already seen a total of eight times in his life.

When he awoke, Hermione sat next to him and Ron on Hermione's left who glanced at Lilia uncomfortably. He glanced ahead and looked at the quiet black haired fourth year curiously. "What house are you in?" he asked her, already finding it was all too obvious with her attitude.

She turned to look at him quietly. "Slytherin," she said.

Hermione glanced up at her and bristled uncomfortably.

"No surprise there," Ron commented, looking at the hallway as the trolley came by.

Harry glanced at it, not really wanting anything this time and then looked at Lilia who was watching him.

"Is it true you were suspended over the summer?" she asked him suddenly.

He glanced at his friends and then at her, nodding. "Well…"

"His expulsion was postponed until after his trial at the Ministry," Hermione cut in, looking at Lilia with a frown. "He was cleared of all charges. It was an unfair trial," she said.

Ron glanced at Harry and then at Lilia.

"Yea… I was expelled but I suppose I'm heading back to school. Why?" he asked.

She shrugged. "Why were you expelled to begin with?" she asked.

Hermione glanced at Harry uncertainly and then at the girl.

Harry swallowed and glanced out the window, making it clear he didn't want to discuss it.

Lilia got the hint, doing that avoiding act all too often at school and looked out the window again, after some time, getting up with the others to go change into her robes for school.

When they stepped out, Lilia's eyes connected with none other than Draco Malfoy who took one look at her and sneered.

"Watch it Mud Blood, you should learn your place," he said nastily.

Hermione glared, stepping forward, giving Draco a warning glare.

Draco smirked, then glanced at Harry who stood close behind. "I see your still befriending the mud blood's, Potter. How delightful of you to be doing so much charity work," he smirked, passing by, his little band of friends smirking and laughing mockingly at the four, still there.

"What a foul git," Ron muttered, glancing at Hermione for her reaction.

She glared after him, but said nothing.

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Entering the Great Hall, Lilia headed for the long Slytherin table, seating herself near the end, away from the gathered groups of people. She'd intended to sit on her own when she felt somebody cover her eyes.

"Guess who," said a familiar voice.

"Dawn," Lilia said flatly.

Dawn pouted and sat down at the table, looking at Lilia. "Aww, you knew? That's so unfair. You spoiled the fun," she sighed, resting her chin in her hand, looking at the black haired girl.

Lilia looked over Dawn, noticing she'd changed over the summer. Her hair was a little longer and she seemed to have more sharp cheekbones.

Obviously, Lilia had changed as well when Dawn looked her over.

"Lilia, you look so good this year," she said, obviously ignoring the minor bruise still on her cheek which had begun to fade a few days ago. "Did you lose some weight?" she asked, tugging on her sweater and then gasped, pulling it again and giggled. "Oh my, Miss. Gunner's turned into a woman over the break, has she?" she teased.

Lilia frowned, pulling her sweater out from Dawn's grasp and looked down.

"Aww, don't be shy about it," Dawn smirked. "I'm sure boys will be flocking to you this year at last," she said.

Lilia glanced at her and then sighed, looking out at the student body… knowing there was no one she was interested in amongst the boys who attended the school. She supposed there were some among the upper year students who were alright as far as looks went… but they didn't attract her per say.

She found herself directing her gaze towards the teacher's table, her eyes immediately falling to the end of it where her favourite, she supposed, professor sat next to a bright pink woman.

She raised a brow, wondering who in god's name she was, scanning the other teachers and supposed she was the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher for this year.

Apparently Moody had left for some sort of vacation time, the role being a bit too much for his expectations, although Lilia thought, amongst others, there was more to it than that.

At last, dinner appeared on the tables and Lilia immediately grabbed her nearest favourite foods, piling them upon her plate. She was absolutely starving after what she'd went through the last summer. Dinner at Hogwarts was probably the second thing she looked forward to the most.

"Gracious, woman, I don't exactly think that much food is healthy for one such as your size," Dawn said in alarm, watching Lilia eat all the food on her plate.

She glanced at Dawn and frowned, but instead of trying to explain herself, she glanced around. "Where are Ariel and Cimbeline?" she asked, wanting to talk about something else right now.

Dawn shrugged. "I know Ariel has a new boyfriend so she's probably sitting with him right now, but I don't know where Cimbeline has gone off to. I didn't see her on the train," she shrugged.

Lilia shrugged as well and resumed her eating until Dumbledore reached the podium and spoke.

"Good evening, children," Dumbledore called out warmly that evening. "Now we have two changes in staffing this year," he explained. "We are pleased to welcome back Professor Grubbly-Plank who will be taking care of magical creatures, while Professor Hagrid is on temporary leave. I also wish to welcome our new Defence Against the Dark Arts Teacher, Professor Dolores Umbirdge," he said.

Lilia glanced at the seemingly chipper old woman draped in pink clothes who sat next to Snape… who now that she looked, seemed extremely unenthused by this, even glancing at her distastefully when she moved her head in an irritating way. Lilia could only imagine the annoying giggle that came from the woman when she did so.

"I'm sure you'll all join me," he continued, drawing Lilia's attention back to him for the moment, " in wishing the professor, good luck," he said, glancing down at his speech for a moment, most likely to regain his place. "As usual, our caretaker Mr. Filch has asked me to remind you-"

He paused halfway through his sentence to glance over at Umbridge who made an audible sound, something like clearing her throat and a giggle.

Lilia glanced at the woman again, watching as she stood, everyone else doing the same.

"Oh god, she's got a speech," Dawn laughed quietly. "What a dreadful woman. I don't like her already," she sneered, looking back at their new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher.

"Thank you, Headmaster," said Umbridge, "for those kind words of welcome. And how lovely, to see al your bright happy faces smiling up at me," she continued, looking out seemingly fondly at the student body.

Dawn rolled her eyes and stuffed another piece of chicken into her mouth with boredom.

"I'm sure we're all going to be very good friends," she said cheerfully.

"Not in this lifetime," Dawn muttered.

Lilia had to agree. She already didn't like the pink cheerful woman, and she hadn't even attended one of her classes yet.

Snape merely frowned even more so at this nonsense.

"The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be of vital importance," she insisted, her hands clasped together. "Although each headmaster has brought something new to this historic school," she continued, glancing at Dumbledore with a cheerful smile, "progress for the sake of progress must be discouraged," she explained brightly. "Let us preserve what must be preserved, perfect what can be perfected, and prew practices that ought to be prohibited," she insisted with a giggle and smile. Wit that, she moved to sit back down.

Dumbledore stood for a moment and then clapped, the students slowly following his lead awkwardly. "Thank you Professor Umbridge. That really was most illuminating," Dumbledore commented amidst the applause.

"Yea, about as illuminating as my arse," Dawn grunted in a most ungraceful manner, glancing at Lilia with a raised brow. "What do you think. Is she a foul right git who doesn't know the first thing about teaching, or am I the only one?" she asked.

Lilia looked at the crimson haired girl beside her and shrugged. "She seems annoying, I'll give you that. As for the teaching thing, I suppose we'll have to see tomorrow morning, won't we?" she said.

Dawn shrugged. "I suppose so," she said.

After some time, everyone got up to head to their common rooms for the night, exhausted from their journey and now with warm food in their bellies.

"Let's get beds next to each other," Dawn encouraged, motioning for Lilia to follow which she reluctantly did.

When they reached their dormitory's Dawn was surprised to see that her things were next to a bed which was placed next to another… with Lilia's things placed beside that one.

"That Dumbledore doesn't miss a thing, does he?" Dawn asked and shook her head, pulling her sweater off her head and moving to untie her tie. "It's really creepy if you ask me," she muttered, kicking off her shoes.

Lilia had to agree, but was a bit relieved to know someone in her dormitory room group this year.

She undressed with everyone else and got into her pyjamas, laying down for the night. When the lights went out, she stared at the ceiling quietly, finding it a little difficult at first to get to sleep, excited a bit for Potions class in particular tomorrow morning.

Eventually sleep overcame her and she drifted off, more than relieved to go to sleep, feeling safe for the first time in the last two months.

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(( Huzzah! Chapter 15 :D Awesome sauce, Lilia is away from home now and back at school where I assure you drama galore is gonna go on this year ;) Please review and let me know how you think I'm doing so far :D Even a simple hello or questions are welcome J Anyways, I know it's late again so if I have time after work tomorrow I'll try to get another two chapters in for sure tomorrow J Mostly it's late cause I had one hell of a headache today and couldn't stand to look at the computer screen for more than a minute at a time xD Anyways! Off to bed with me cause I have work at 7 am tomorrow :P Nighty night my fellow Severus lovers :D ))


	16. Like Everyone Else

(( Good afternoon everybody J Here we go with chapter 16 of Other Evils in this World :D I hope you enjoy it ^^ As you know, there will be for SURE two chapters up today due to the late update last night J I hope that it was alright with you all ^^ Anyways, back to writing :P

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter xD Still and neverrr! Lol ))

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Lilia sat down in her seat, relieved to be back in her potions classroom. The outlook of it had changed from the drab and musty looking dungeon the previous years. It was blacker… sleeker this year. The tables were round and set up so people would be in groups together now, no longer all facing one way individually. She liked it this way. It felt more like a Slytherin themed class, considering the potions professor was the Slytherin head of house.

She turned her head, along with Dawn who had come to sit beside her, to see none other than Professor Snape enter the classroom.

"Mmm… amazing how much I missed seeing that man over the summer," Dawn purred under her breath, giggling at the aghast looks she received from those around her. "Joking. My goodness," she smirked.

Lilia glanced at the flirtatious girl seated next to her and had to hold back her tongue from saying something she knew she just might regret, knowing that Dawn had to be joking, but unable to deny the flare of hatred she felt towards the girl for a moment. She ignored the feeling and directed her gaze up at Snape who stood near the front of the classroom, his arms folded across his chest, his cold, calculating gaze inspecting each of his students.

"There will be no break the first few days in this class, now that summer is over," Snape said coldly. "All of you have no doubt lost your touch over the summer and thus we must begin immediately, reviving those… tiny minds of yours," he stated, looking at the Gryffindors as he said this, much to the amusement of Slytherin house.

Lilia looked at the other students and looked up at her professor to catch him watching her for a moment. She followed his gaze and looked down at her bandaged wrist, moving her hand off the table and tucked it beneath her cloak calmly.

Dawn had asked her about it earlier, Lilia explaining to her she'd sprained it and needed it to be held still in the bandage so it didn't bother her. She'd gone for it, luckily not asking how it had been sprained so severely. It really was none of her business.

During class, Snape was as cold and strict as ever, his deep voice resonating over the students, easily forcing them ot pay attention to him.

After class, Lilia reached for her books and winced when her wrist throbbed enough for her to notice, moving the books into her bag one by one, carefully.

When everyone was gone, she closed her bag and stood up, following Dawn to the door, unaware, or pretending to be of Snape's frowning gaze upon her.

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She had changed over the summer. He had noticed it as soon as he'd lain his eyes upon her that morning. Not only had she looked more fragile than normal and deadened inside, seemingly without her realizing it, but… she'd become a woman over the summer as well. She'd changed on the outside just as much as on the inside.

The thought made him swallow, reaching up to loosen his collar slightly at the thought. He shook his head as he waited for the next class of potions students to enter.

He sighed, standing to lecture the fifth year potions students on the art of potion making, which the Gryffindors just never seemed to grasp, much to his continuous irritation.

After his final class for the morning finished, Snape gathered his things and set them away, pausing as he thought back to the uncaring look upon Lilia's face when he'd seen her bandaged wrist. The thought struck him as repulsive since he found himself wondering how long this abuse had been happening to her and how he had never noticed until the previous year when he'd confronted her about the way she carried herself each day.

It sickened him still to watch her have to bottle everything inside herself still. He felt anger rage inside him towards her father who still remained unnamed to him. He hated the man even if he didn't know him. He always would for doing such horrible things to his own daughter. She may have been his daughter but he was no father to her, that was for certain, and he would most definitely make sure somehow to show Lilia that she didn't need to take it all on her own. He was surprised how much on the inside he feared for the girl's safety whenever he couldn't see her.

He knew if things continued he wouldn't be able to stop himself from intervening, invited or not, so he could help her.

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"What a nightmare of a woman!" Dawn exclaimed when she and Dawn reunited after their electives for dinner that evening. It was all too obvious what 'nightmare of a woman' Dawn was speaking of. And Lilia more than willingly agreed.

She was annoying, too chipper for her own good, two faced and cruel as far as Lilia could see. She hated her the moment she'd looked up from her desk at the front of the class.

"Merlin's beard, can you really believe she already assigned us two ful parchment papers on the importance of safety in defence against dark arts?" she asked Lilia with widened eyes. "I mean really! Safety? What sort of safety will there ever be if we're directly in combat with someone who wants us to suffer and then die," she shook her head, kicking off her shoes. "What an absolutely wretched woman," Dawn groaned, laying on her back, muttering about how much she hated Umbridge.

Lilia undid the top buttons on her dress shirt, her tie loosened, and her sweater and cloak already long removed and draped over the edge of her bed.

It was just as she was laying on her back that one of the upper year Slytherin girls came into the dormitory room. "Lilia. Professor Snape wanted me to come find you so he could let you know to come see him immediately in his potions classroom," she said.

Lilia frowned, sitting up and glanced at Dawn who whistled lowly.

"Look at you, Gunner. Detention already on the first day of school," she teased.

Lilia got up reluctantly and followed the upper year girl down to the common room, then towards the dungeons, straightening her tie and buttoning her shirt up a bit again.

When she reached Professor Snape's potions classroom, she knocked once and then entered, looking around at the dark, sleek room, finding she could spend all day in there and never grow tired of it.

"Sit, Miss. Gunner," Snape said from behind her, having come through another entrance, clearly.

She looked up at him and then pulled out a chair, sitting down within it and looked up at him as he stood in front of the table.

"What happened to your wrist?" he demanded to know.

She looked down at it, and was about to tell him she merely sprained it, but then figured he already knew about her situation at home, so he would immediately know she was lying.

"I fell…" she said calmly, looking at the bandage.

He raised a brow, clearly knowing there was more to it.

Sighing, she continued. "I fell and sprained it, when my father pushed me," she said softly. She moved her head and looked up at him quietly. "Does that surprise you?" she asked.

He narrowed his eyes, but said nothing. "Why do you insist on going it alone? What can you possibly gain from any of it?" he asked her.

She looked down quietly. "My dignity…" she said at last. "I will not stoop down to begging for someone to help me," she said. "I will not let him know I cannot handle him on my own," she said and stood, looking at him, her eyes pleading for him to stop questioning her about it. "If that is all you wanted to speak to me about, professor, then I would like to head back now before curfew begins and I get in trouble for being out of bed," she explained.

He eyed her for a moment, and then nodded his head towards the door. "Go…" he said dauntingly.

She looked at him quietly for a moment and then turned away, heading to the door of his classroom.

He couldn't help but watch her leave, seeing the young woman she'd grown into over the summer, but knowing the frightened child that inhabited her mind deep down, even if she was very good at hiding it.

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Lilia climbed into bed that night, glowering at the opposite wall as she lay on her side. If Snape cared so much about her well being and safety, then did he never make any move to help her over the summer, having known what she was headed into? He was just like everyone else, she began to realize. He said all those things, but never acted upon them or did anything. She couldn't trust him to be there for her when she needed him anymore. He could be there at school, but there was no threat to her at school. But once she left, he was nowhere to be seen and she couldn't rely on him to help her when she wanted him to.

He was all talk, but no show. At least, not that she could see.

She rolled over onto her side and sighed, curling up under the covers. She sighed and gazed ahead at the opposite wall again, then closed her eyes, wondering if there really was a single honest person in the entire world.

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(( Aaaahhhhh I know! SHORT chapter xD Sorry! But I'm so busy today with work, then laundry and other things lol :P Plus, I wanted this chapter to focus a little on the trust Lilia lost in Snape because of certain events J I will start the second chapter for today shortly J Please review and let me know what you think ^^ ))


	17. Teach Me

(( Awesome J Here we are with chapter 17 now ^^ Wow! I'm amazed I've kept a steady pace with this updating thing xD I hope you guys appreciate it even if sometimes it's uploaded a little later in the evening than I would like or if the chapters are short here or there J I'm just glad to know that so far the way I WANT each chapter to be perceived is for the most part being perceived that way and that people are enjoying the story so far :D It makes me feel proud -w- haha :D Thanks again and keep the reviews coming ^w^ I love them! Lol

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter! If I did, Lilia would be real and this might have possibly been going on secretly ;) LOL jokes :P buut ya never know :P Either way, I don't think I would change a think in HP :) Except Severus Snape dying of course _ R.I.P. Sevvy! *sniffles* ))

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It had been about a month and a half since school had begun, and Umbridge was by far Lilia's least favourite teacher. It was absolutely ridiculous the way she thought she could get away with teacher Defence Against the Dark Arts without actually teaching anyone how to literally defend themselves!

She sat in detention with Professor Snape, yet again, having come to class late after sleeping in from a slight illness that had gone around the school about a week ago. She hadn't been hit with the illness it self, but she certainly couldn't deny the fatigue she'd caught as a part of it.

Glancing up at Snape, she thought about how he had shown a very keen interest in the subject of Defence Against the Dark Arts. It was no secret that Snape wanted that job above all others, including potions. She bit her lip and looked down at her nearly finished punishment. And then she asked.

"Will you teach me?" she asked suddenly, looking up at Snape.

Severus lifted his gaze from a roll pf parchment he was grading, raising a brow. "Excuse me, Miss. Gunner?" he asked slowly.

She looked at him with her deep green eyes and took a deep breath. "You know as well as everyone else that Professor Umbridge is not fit to be Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher," she said. "She doesn't teach us anything, and if these rumours about You-Know-Who are tue then none of us stand a chance thanks to her and the Ministry's forced ignorance," she said, a frown on her face. "I know you want to teach it… so take the chance I am seeking and teach me," she said finally, looking at him intensely.

Snape narrowed his eyes at her and went back to marking his parchment. "I am not in the position to be commenting on whether or not a fellow professor is fit or not to do the job given out to them," he said calmly.

Lilia looked at him silently and glared, looking down at her detention punishment quietly, feeling there really was no hope in Snape. He wouldn't help her when it came to her father - not that she wanted him to - and he wouldn't teach her to defend herself against enemy wizards if it ever came down to it. She was about to resign to a miserable life ahead of her when she heard Snape clear his throat quietly. She looked up at him and was curious to see him watching her intently.

"Stand…" he commanded.

She looked around and then slowly put down what she was doing, rising from her chair slowly.

"Ready your wand," he said calmly.

She looked at him, her heart rate picking up, hopeful that for once he would do something for her other than brew a potion to help her sleep through some pain. Slowly, she reached for her wand and held it firmly in her right hand.

He looked her up and down, and then slowly stood, quietly approaching her. "Are you prepared to take me on as your Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, Miss. Gunner?" he asked her, almost tauntingly.

She looked ahead as he walked by her side and nodded. "I am," she said firmly.

He smirked, circling her slowly, almost in a predatory way. "It will be difficult. I will not go easy on you simply because you are the only one who asked such a thing of me," he told her.

She lifted her chin in determination, her eyes hardening. "I trust you to do what is necessary…" she said quietly.

Snape looked at her curiously, finding there being a possible double meaning in those words, but didn't react to it on the outside. "Very well…" he said carefully, stopping to stand in front of Lilia and looking down his nose at her. "We begin your lessons tonight…" he said calmly, his gaze daring her to say that it was too late in the night.

She wouldn't have even thought of it, though. She wasn't tired for the time being, and getting an hour less of sleep per night would be well worth the learning she would be receiving from Snape each day. Clearly, she wasn't going to be learning anything from that ungodly Umbridge woman, so to lose an hour here or there of her own time was a small price to pay in order to gain some sort of education.

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"Hold your wand up firmly, Miss. Gunner. A vampire will show you no mercy," he said, reaching out to touch her neck without warning. "He will look for the most easiest way to your pulse point so he can suck the life right out of you, understand?" he said seriously, pulling his hand away when she frowned up at him. "You must be fully alert when dealing with dark creatures of any manner, small or large, frightening or beautiful," he said slowly, looking at her as he said this.

She frowned, stepping back once and pointed her wand at him.

He smirked. "Now then," he said and began his lesson, teaching her first how to defend and disarm, the basics. He wanted to have a quick run through of the things she'd learned up to that point as far as spells and jinxes went, deeming it necessary to know how far her intellect in D.A.D.A. went.

When he was satisfied for the most part, he showed her how to assume a proper stance for each spell, allowing her to recite the spell with a firm and strong voice, enunciating the ancient words flawlessly.

When he felt confident in her learning ability, he stood in front of her by a few feet and pulled out his own wand. They had been reciting the words and spells without the use of wands for the time being, and now he wanted to practice for real. He wanted to see her capabilities.

She pulled out her wand, but stopped when she yawned softly, covering her mouth when she did so.

Snape paused and frowned, looking at the time. "It is already eleven at night, Miss. Gunner. Perhaps we should wait until tomorrow evening to resume your lessons," he said calmly, standing up straight and putting his wand away.

She nodded, reaching up to rub her eyes and put her wand away as well.

As she headed towards the door with Snape, him escorting her to the dormitories just in case there were any pesky prefects out at this hour, she stopped and looked up at him. "Thankyou, professor..." she said finally.

He glanced down at her and frowned. "For what?" he asked.

She resumed walking. "For providing me with lessons when I otherwise couldn't have them. I want to thank you for taking time out of your life in order to assist me," she said and looked up at him again when they reached the Slytherin common room. "I… I suppose what I'm trying ot tell you is that I DO appreciate it," she said, looking down awkwardly.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, but nodded. "Goodnight, Miss. Gunner," he said quietly, turning away to go to his own bed chambers.

She watched him go for a moment, then spoke the password and entered the Slytherin common room, going up to her bed. She tried to be quiet, taking off her clothes and changing, climbing into her bed in the dark room.

"Where the devil have you been this entire time?" asked Dawn from her bed, clearly having been woken up by Lilia entering the room. She yawned un a most un-lady like fashion, then looked at Lilia sleepily.

Lilia shrugged. "Lost track of time in detention," she murmured.

Dawn looked at her sceptically. "I think you're lying," she whispered, not wanting to wake the other girls as well. "Are you seeing someone?" she asked bluntly.

Lilia rolled her eyes. "No, Dawn. I am not seeing anyone," she said.

Dawn chuckled lowly. "Right. I think you are, even if you don't want to admit it just yet. I'll find out who this boy is," she grinned in the dark.

Lilia rolled her eyes and lay on her back, wondering why on earth Dawn always had to think it was either a late night meet up or something sexual. She was such an odd girl. Lilia was stunned that she could have put up with her for so long.

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"You applied first for Defence Against the Dark Arts post, is that correct?" Umbridge asked, her pink clipboard in hand as she looked up at Snape with an unabashedly delighted face.

"Yes…" Snape replied, staring ahead, not enthused by any means to answer the following questions.

"And you were unsuccessful?" she asked with a fake little pout, looking up at him interestedly.

Lilia narrowed her eyes from where she sat off to the side of the class, handing out ingredients to the upper year class. She had a cancelled class today, so she'd offered to help Snape in class somehow before another one of her so far many, private D.A.D.A. lessons, only to be greeted by the horrendous sight of the walking pink pig, Umbridge.

"Obviously…" Snape answered, Lilia's attention returning to him.

Ron Weasley, the red haired boy from the train sniggered in what he thought was a quiet way while Umbridge questioned Snape in the middle of class.

Lilia watched her leave with narrowed eyes, disliking that woman more and more. She then glanced back to Ron when Snape swiftly whacked him across the back of the head with a textbook, watching Umbride go with a very sour look in his eyes.

Lilia almost laughed. Almost.

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After the lesson, Lilia quietly put away anything not used by the fifth year students in potions, then stood to face Snape, watching him out away some bottles.

He glanced over at her and nodded towards one of the empty spots in the classroom. "Stand there," he commanded, shelving a few books then.

She went to stand where he told her to and was just about to put out her wand when Snape turned and threw a jinx her way.

She gasped and counter jinxed it, destroying it before it could hit her. She looked at Snape in shock and disbelief. "I wasn't ready!" she exclaimed in outrage.

Snape looked at her calmly. "The dark lord will not wait for you to be ready, Miss. Gunner. He will attack when you least expect with the express purpose of killing you," he said.

She wanted to yell at him for putting her in danger, but she supposed she really could see the logic in what he said. It was true. Voldemort was a merciless murderer and he wouldn't hesitate to throw the killing curse her way. A small jinx conjured by Snape towards her was nothing in comparison. She took a few breaths and then nodded. "Alright… go on," she insisted.

With that, they began their lessons yet again.

Lilia assumed the proper stances Snape had been teaching her for a few weeks now, trying her best to do as he commanded, though of course, him being the perfectionist he was, he saw the faults in her stances or pronunciations and would do what he could to fix them, brining them up to his standards.

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Snape entered Dumbledore's office just after an outburst from Potter. He raised a brow, glancing at McGonagall who stood in her night robes, then looked at Dumbledore curiously. "You wished to see me, headmaster?" he asked.

"Severus, I'm afraid it can't wait. Not even 'till the morning," he said seriously. "Otherwise… we will be vulnerable…" he said ominously.

Snape glanced at Potter and then nodded.

He brought him to his potions classroom late at night, having told Lilia to wait in the other adjoining room, frowning when he saw the light streaming in from the other room still, but said nothing about it, seeing that Potter hadn't noticed it in the background, or the fact that the room did look like it had been set up for recent use.

After he tried to teach Potter about Occlumency and Legitimency, he made sure to check that he was gone before opening the adjoining room's door and looked at Lilia. "We may begin," he said calmly.

She looked up at him and stood from where she sat, then walked out to the dim potions room, assuming her position.

They practiced for a while, Lilia growing tired, Potter's issue having taken up precious time from her own lesson.

Snape frowned. "You mustn't allow yourself to grow tired, Miss. Gunner," he said seriously, coming to stand behind her and reaching for her hand, positioning it appropriately. "Noone will wait for you to regain your energy. Dark wizards will only take advantage of your fatigue and destroy you from the inside out if given the chance," he told her seriously.

She wanted to whimper, feeling utterly tired, wanting to crawl into bed and go to sleep. But he wouldn't let her, not yet.

Snape put a hand on her shoulder and pushed it forward, leaning close, forcing her to stand upright, his hand moving to her waist, not allowing her to slouch in the least. "You must not display weakness… the dark lord will only take advantage of it…" he murmured into her ear.

She stood straight, suddenly extremely aware of his breath upon her ear, his warm around her waist, his body firmly behind hers.

She stared ahead and then looked over her shoulder, up at Snape, her green eyes meeting his cold black ones even in the dim lighted dungeon room. She swallowed, feeling very vulnerable in front of him… but most definitely not in a bad way.

Snape seemed to know what she was feeling, his grip around her waist, merely to support her before, tightening now to pull her just a little closer to himself instead, her back pressing gently against the front of his torso. He watched her reaction, a frown creasing his brow, wondering how she would react next, but still saw no reaction, only curiosity and something he hadn't seen in her eyes yet. Uncertainty? Need? He looked at her and without even thinking about it, felt his lips press against hers.

He could feel Lilia tense up against him, but she didn't pull away, his grip not tight enough to deny her escape if she wanted it.

Lilia's mind went into overdrive, wanting to scream and pound her fists against his face, tell him to get off, but she felt so… good… kissing him. Kissing Snape! She felt her cheeks grow flushed when he pulled away from her, the kiss having only lasted a mere two or three seconds. But it had so much emotion in it.

She swallowed, looking up at her professor with wide eyes, but said nothing. She didn't even move away, aware and unaware at the same time of his arm still encircling her waist from behind, partially.

Snape slowly moved his arm away from her waist, looking at her, and then turned away. "I think that is enough for tonight…" he said quietly, moving away from her, leaving her to stand on her own in the middle of the classroom.

She watched him pack his wand away and then swallowed, putting hers away as well, heading for the door. She glanced back, but saw he didn't have anything to say either, so she merely opened the door and left ot the Slytherin common room to get atleast some sleep tonight, though something told her that wouldn't be an easy feat after tonight's revelation.

When she changed at last and lay down, she was glad to see Dawn snoozing away, not having awoken. She noticed it was already two in the morning, and blushed, reaching up to touch her lips. She'd kissed her professor… Professor Snape of all people… The thought was shocking to her, but it felt so comforting, it being him rather than someone else.

She was just uncertain and worried about what exactly would come of it. How would he treat her from now on? Would anything change? Or would he merely pretend it hadn't happened and go on as just her professor?

Honestly… she didn't know which was worse.

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(( KYAAAAA hooray! :P I REALLY hope you guys liked this chapter :D MORE to come from this I assure you haha J But I defs gotta get to sleep cause it is now 11: 04 and I gotta get up at 5 am again for work xDDD So I shall have another chapter up for you all tomorrow :D I hope it measures up to this (If you guys liked it of course w PLEAAASSEEE review and let me know what you thought of this chapter and… certain moments in it ;) lol

Also, I wanna admit this IS late in updates BUT I wanted to get the feeling of the chapter JUSt right so please forgive me for that :) But! As promise,d there are two chapters up today so hooray ^w^ Enjoy!

I also wanted to just say, I wanted to use that moment when Umbridge questions Snape just cause it always makes me laugh, watching it in the movie xDD ALSO! I really wanted Lilia to be hiding in another room while Harry is leanring from Snape late that night because IF you watch closely in the background when Snape unrolls his wand and other instruments, you DO see a light streaming in from another room :P SO I figured that would be a pretty fun thing to use :D I hope you all like how I'm tying this in with the actual plot ^w^ Anyways! Again, PLEASE please please review and lemme know what you thought :D I really am curious to see what everyone thought of this chapter in particular :D Goodnight my fellow Severus x Lilia lovely fans :D ))


	18. Marked

(( Alrighty! J I'm glad with many of the reviews I got for the last chapter ^w^ However, I'm concerned that people thought I put Lilia becoming a woman MERELY because she developed more over the summer. You have to remember, one this is Snape's thought process and he only meant it regarding her physically, same thing with Dawn when she jokes about it. This is by no means saying 'girls become woman when they are endowed with boobies'. If that is how you took it, then I apologize and have to state that wasn't my intention, but thank you for voicing concern to it.

And back to the matter at hand ;) Welcome to chapter 18 :P I hope that you all greatly enjoyed reading chapter 17 even if you didn't review it, and I hope you continue to enjoy what else is in store :D :D ))

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Foolish. Stupid. Risky… Exhilerating… all of these things described what had just transpired between Lilia and himself. He stood at his desk, his thoughts in complete shambles, but the stoic expression upon his face would never hint at the turmoil he now felt. He knew he was attracted to Lilia, very much so. But she was a student, and he a professor; it wasn't allowed no matter what.

Not only that, when he'd kissed her for those few seconds, she hadn't exactly returned the gesture. She'd merely taken it as it came, so he couldn't judge her opinion on his bold gesture.

He could have kicked himself repeatedly for his own weak minded self. He shouldn't have allowed himself to submit to temptation around her, and yet he had, and more than willingly. It was wrong, and he couldn't allow for it to occur again.

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Two days. It had been that long since Lilia had spoken to Professor Snape. He'd maintained his professor relationship with her, and acted as though nothing at all had happened. It crushed her in a way.

She knew deep down in was wrong, bad, irresponsible, amongst other things to ever even think of having some sort of personal relationship with Snape. And yet she had hoped something just might come of it.

All this time she had numbed herself to emotion, forbidding herself from feeling anything for anyone, and in came Snape, this dark, cold, powerful man who could just rip apart her exterior defences and know exactly who she was, and how to get inside her mind, as well as her heart.

In all honestly, half of Lilia wanted to kill Snape for making her so weak, and the other half wanted to scream and cry and beg him to tell her why he'd kissed her for absolutely no reason, only to virtually ignore her ever since.

She hated the idea of being left so in the dark and confused about what was going on.

After class, she got up and waited for everyone to leave, approaching Snape and looked up at him. "Professor? May I talk to you?" she asked quietly.

Snape glanced over at her and then at the door which remained closed. "What is it, Miss. Gunner?" he asked calmly.

She looked at him in confusion. "Professor, why… why have you been cancelling our after class lessons for the last few days?" she asked finally, looking him in the eye, a confused and curious look in her eyes.

Snape frowned, looking at her and turned away to organize his shelves before the fifth years arrived. "I have had other matters at hand, Miss. Gunner. Matters involving Mr. Potter and direct orders from Dumbledore himself," he said calmly. "I have no more time for your lessons," he explained.

She looked at him silently. "So… they're over then?"she asked, her gaze looking into his own.

He nodded, turning away simply. "Yes… it's over now, Miss. Gunner. I've taught you what I can up till now. It will be up to you to learn the rest in due time on your own," he said, shelving a few bottles.

She looked down, then frowned. "Why did you kiss me?" she asked suddenly.

Snape paused, swallowing but didn't appear phased as far as his expression went over the question. "I don't think this is appropriate conversation for a student and professor to be discussing/"

"And I don't think it's appropriate for you to ignore me and avoid me after doing such a thing, let alone doing it in the first place," she snapped, her eyes hardening at him. "Why did you do it?" she asked him again.

He looked over at her quietly, a frown upon his face, deepening the crease along his brow. "I don't know…" he finally answered.

She looked up at him quietly, and was about to ask something else when she heard fifth year potions students filing in. She glanced at them, then up at Snape again. Instead of saying anything, she shook her head and turned away, leaving the room quickly, heading to her Defence Against the Dark Arts class quickly, not particularly wanting to earn a detention from Umbridge for being late. She'd heard they were rather nasty.

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"I deserve the punishments I get," Umbridge cooed in her pastel pink office.

Lilia glared at her from beneath her bangs, but moved to pick up the quill she'd heard so much about. She was prepared for the knowledge of knowing her line would be carved into the back of her hand, but not the pain that suddenly came with it.

She gasped when it began, a fiery feeling, cutting into her delicate white skin, marring her hand with the words 'I deserve the punishments I get'. She swallowed, looking at it and then up at Umbridge in discomfort.

Umbridge merely smiled at her, taking the quill back, seeing that there was no way Lilia would write another. "Have you learned your lesson, Miss. Gunner?" she asked with an innocent and fake smile.

Lilia rose from her chair, giving her a disbelieving look, and moved away from her, then out the door without a word.

Walking down the corridors, she wanted nothing more than to cut away her hand and throw it away. The line she'd been given held more meaning to her than Umbridge would know. She deserved the punishments she got… She knew she didn't. Did she?

She felt something rising up in her throat and immediately took off down the hall, running to the dungeon she wanted to stay in forever and hide within.

Snape looked over as Lilia burst into his classroom and was alarmed when she threw herself into his arms, her eyes wild and pleading.

"I don't deserve it, do I? I didn't do anything to deserve what I got, did I?" she whimpered, her hands clutching onto his arms so tightly, her nails were almost digging into his flesh.

He frowned. "Miss. Gunner, what is this..?" he trailed off, his eyes falling upon the fresh wound upon her hand. Immediately, he grabbed her hand and looked at it, inspecting it from every angle, rage flaring up inside him.

Of course, Umbridge couldn't understand the significance this inscription held to Lilia, but he did, and it angered him that she could allow herself to belive for a moment that she deserved any of what happened to her. It angered him that she would believe such a statement so easily.

He grasped her shoulders firmly and looked her in the eyes. "You don't deserve what happened to you," he told her firmly. "Miss. Gunner," he said firmly, his frown increasing. "This means nothing, get a hold of yourself," he persisted.

At first he thought Lilia had relapsed somehow and would be stuck in that state of panic for a long time.

But then her eyes darkened and she relaxed, realizing she didn't deserve it and her reaction had been far overblown. She looked up at Snape quietly, taking a deep breath. "You aren't lying?" she asked him quietly.

He frowned. "No."

She looked up at him, then looked down. "I'm sorry… for troubling you. I'll be leaving now," she murmured.

He watched her move away from him and then grasped her hand again, looking at it. "I can help you with this," he said quietly.

She turned to look up at him and shrugged. "it's fine… it doesn't really hurt anymore," she said, pulling her hand away from his grasp.

Just as she was walking away, he spoke again.

"I wanted to," he said suddenly.

Frowning, she turned and looked up at him, raising a bow. "Sorry?"

He rolled his eyes. "I kissed you because I wanted to. Does that knowledge satisfy you, Miss. Gunner?" he asked coldly, clearly unaccustomed to admitting to the reasons behind his actions to someone, let alone a female student of all people.

She looked surprised and then nodded. "Yes…" she said quietly.

He watched her for a moment and then nodded, turning away.

She did the same, feeling perhaps maybe things didn't have to be so horribly awkward between her and Snape after all.

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(( … *face palm* Okay, honestly, I will try to write another chapter later on tonight but right now I DESPERATELY need some sleep cause I'm exhausted having been up for ten hours, working, and then trying to do this when I got home xDDD I know it's not as good, and nothing really happened here, BUT I will try my hardest to make up for that later, after I've gotten some sleep xDDDD AND tomorrow I have a day off so I'll spend the day writing to redeem myself -w- ANYWHOOOO toodloo, off to take a nap with me _ ))


	19. Memories and Feelings

(( Yaaayy J I had a lovely nap in the recliner and I feel a bazillion times better w SOO Sorry if the last chapter seemed… bland xD 5 hours of sleep and then 8 hours of work will do that to you lmao. Anywho J Here is chapter 19 to make up for that iffy little thing J I hope you all can forgive me and still love this story xD

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter. If I did, so many of the characters would still be alive and well T^T *sniffle* ))

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A mass break out at Azkaban. That was what was being written all over the Daily Prophet among other wizarding newspapers.

Lilia frowned, putting down her copy at the Slytherin table, and took a bite of her toast that morning, finding that sort of news to be just as troubling as anyone else did. She glanced around, noticing the expression on a few of those whom she had heard were well acquainted with the Death Eaters. Like that Longbottom boy.

"Harry," came a voice. Everyone, Lilia among them turned and looked as Seamus stood from the Gryffindor table, Harry and his two friends turning to look at their fellow classmate. "I uh… I wanted to apologize," he said. He explained that his mom certainly believed the things in the prophet, and with this latest news, he essentially believed him.

Just as Harry spoke, Lilia felt a presence directly behind her. She turned and looked up, her eyes falling upon a familiar black clad man.

"Professor?" she asked and sat up straighter, looking up at him.

"Meet me in the potions room tonight," Snape said lowly, making sure no one else heard. "It is urgent," he explained, turning away with that, leaving the poor girl utterly confused.

After her classes for the day, and after dinner, she headed down to the dungeons hall, opening the door to Snape's potions classroom and entered. Closing the door behind her, she stepped forward, looking around with a frown. "Professor?" she called out.

He stepped out from one of the adjoining rooms and looked right at her. "Consider your private lessons, resumed," he said seriously.

She was a bit taken aback at this news, but nodded, relieved to have her private D.A.D.A. teacher back. "Does this have anything to do with the break out in Azkaban, sir?" she asked curiously, walking over to him while he pulled out his wand and examined it.

"It has everything to do with it, Miss. Gunner. It shouldn't have been possible for those who have escaped, to do so. Thus, we are in danger, and you must best be prepared as much as I can prepare you," he said calmly, turning quickly to face her. "Not many students realize the gravity of this situation, Miss. Gunner. Quite frankly I don't think even you do," he said, leaning alarmingly close to her, so much so she was forced to lean back a little over one of the desks. "However…" he paused, raising a brow. "I will do what I can to teach you the proper techniques in order to defend yourself in the case of severe danger," he said, looking at her seriously.

She looked up at him with a slightly confused frown, but then nodded, feeling that these resumed lessons would be far more important than merely getting some knowledge this year in D.A.D.A. Something told her, they would also be a lot tougher from here on in.

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"I'm tired!" she gasped, clutching her head, her hands trembling a little from stress. She desperately wanted to go to sleep, especially since she had not been prepared for tonight's lessons at all. Snape had sprung them upon her so suddenly, she hadn't taken a nap to make up for the loss of sleep she would be getting that night, which brought them to where they were now.

"Death Eaters will not wait until you are energized to fight, Miss. Gunner. If you want me to teach you properly," he sneered as he circled her, "Then you must put in the effort to learn what I deem necessary," he said. "And believe me, this is more than necessary," he said strictly.

"What were you teaching Potter?" she asked him suddenly, cutting him off.

He frowned. "Why?" She shrugged, looking up at him. "It seemed important. Why are you not teaching it to me?" she asked.

He frowned. "In his case, what I am teaching is necessary, especially during the circumstances which I will not deviate to you," he said sternly. At her slightly tired and disappointed expression, he stood straighter. "However… I suppose if you want, I can show you the lack of power you hold…" he said calmly.

She looked at him in confusion as he watched her. "Legilimency… the power to read the minds of others. It will allow me to access your memories, know your thoughts and feelings, thus, gaining control over your mind," he explained. "What I was teaching Mr. Potter is Occlumency. The power to shield the mind from being penetrated and invaded by unwelcome forces," he explained.

She was astonished at this, standing up straighter. "Is it difficult?" she asked. "To block one's mind from others trying to read it?" she asked.

Snape looked at his wand favourably. "It takes great focus and concentration… power which I find not many hold," he said in irritation.

She looked at him. "Are you good at it?" she asked.

He looked at her calmly and then nodded calmly.

She figured it couldn't be a very strenuous experience, and she figured if she focused hard enough she could do it, so wanting to take a break from the exhaustion of their D.A.D.A. lessons, she looked up at him and said, "I want to try," she said.

Snape frowned. "You have no training in Occlumency. I will be able to read your thoughts and memories like an open book, Miss. Gunner. Something I don't think you will find very tasteful," he said calmly.

She smirked. "I think I can handle it," she said, looking determined to block Snape from her mind.

Snape looked at her calmly, then raised his wand at her. "Legiliment!" he said clearly.

Lilia's eyes widened in shock at the ease with which Snape invaded her memories, watching as she moved things in her bedroom with only her mind, how her father chased her down the hall, shouting while she screamed at the age of nine, desperately trying to evade him. He watched when he beat her to the floor only this last summer, when he tried to drown her and screamed at her that it was her fault for her mother's death. He even saw her father trying to perversely fondle her beneath her shirt against her will, feeling all the fear and shame and most of all, hatred that she knew thanks to her evil muggle father.

She stumbled back when Snape suddenly relinquished his hold on her mind, knocking into one of the desks and clumsily reaching back to stable herself. She panted shakily as Snape looked at her in discomfort and disbelief. Apparently it really wasn't that easy to simply shield ones mind.

She felt herself trembling and she wanted to break down and cry in front of her professor, ashamed that he had seen such awful things in her memories of her home. She didn't notice when he spoke at first.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he said lowly, anger seeping into his tone.

She clearly hadn't heard him, and he immediately stormed up to her, grabbing her by the front of her shirt and shaking her roughly. "Why did you not tell me what he did to you?" he demanded to know, their faces very close, him not wanting her to turn away and try to avoid the matter at hand.

She felt tears spring to her eyes and she shook her head, her hands moving onto his, trying to make him let go. "It doesn't matter… it isn't for you to concern yourself with…" she whispered, hanging her head.

He glared furiously and moved to hold her shoulders, forcing her to look at him. "He tried to kill you. Of course it matters" he told her, trying to regain his composure, though there was a deep fury in his eyes as he tried to steady her.

She looked up at him quietly. "I don't want you to worry about me… what happens to me at home is what I am used to…" she whispered, meeting his eyes which were hard to avoid, their faces so close while he placed his hands on her waist so she didn't faint or lose balance, her mind still a bit at odds with the invading force he'd thrown her way so suddenly.

He frowned, looking at her. "It may not have occurred to you, Miss. Gunner, but I do care," he said flatly.

She looked at him quietly. "Why? How?" she whispered shakily, her hands subconsciously moving to rest upon his upper arms, one sliding up a bit to rest upon his chest to sort of put some distance between them out of habit. "You say you care but you never act like it," she said.

He looked at her with a deep frown. "It's… difficult… you should know what I mean when I say I am not used to caring about someone," he said finally.

She lifted her head and looked at him quietly, having figured as much, but feeling different when he spoke the words aloud.

He watched her for a moment, tensing slightly when he felt her hand slide up a little higher upon his chest.

"I… I suppose I do know," she said, her expression calming.

She became aware of how close they were then, his aid no longer needed really to hold her up. She already had regained her balance and the dizzy-ness and shock and pain had passed. She wanted to tell him he could let go, but her body refused to cooperate, not telling him to do anything as they stood there.

Eventually he let go, seeing she was alright and stepped away. "I suppose that will suffice for tonight," he said. "I expect you here tomorrow night at the same time, Miss. Gunner, for more lessons. I suppose now that you understand the force of Legilimency, we can incorporate it into your lessons," he said calmly, packing his things up and turned to face her, nodding as he headed to the door, Lilia following when she grabbed her cloak.

When she reached the Slytherin common room, she went to bed, changing into her night clothes and lay down. She became aware of the ghostly feeling of Snape's hands upon her waist still, her skin memorizing the feeling for the time being. She relaxed, not wanting the feeling to go away quite yet as she drifted off to sleep rather comfortably, though still worried on the inside now that Snape had literally seen her experiences with her father over the years all in one moment. It frightened her and made her weary of what Snape thought of her, but she knew there was no good in worrying. It was done, and he knew, and she had to live with that knowledge now, as uncomfortable as it was.

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"Legiliment!" Snape exclaimed again, pointing his wand at Lilia for the second night in a row, attempting to teach her Occlumency as he had been with Potter.

Lilia gasped in shock as Snape penetrated her mind for the second night in a row. She felt embarrassment yet again as he watched her trying to fight off her father in the hallways of her home, the anger than emanated like waves from her because of him, and the embarrassment she felt at being helpless under his control.

And then she felt helplessness and shock when the memory of her kissing Snape flowed to the front of her mind for him to see, exposing the feeling of shock and fear she'd felt when he did it, but also the feeling of elation and excitement… and the alarming desire that had come with it. She felt exposed when he also viewed the memory of her returning to her room after, touching her lips in a gentle way in surprise as well as ease, clearly having liked what had happened even if it wasn't allowed.

She stumbled away from him again when he relinquished his hold on her mind. She clutched her chest tightly, panting shakily from the exertion it took to even attempt to shield her mind from Snape.

Snape stood, breathing calmly as he stared at her in slight surprise. He hadn't expected such a flood of all sorts of emotions to barrage him when he had viewed her memories that evening. In all honesty, he hadn't expected to view the memory of them kissing either. Looking at her, he was surprised to see the flush of pink upon her pale cheeks and how she stood, leaning slightly against the desk for support.

She looked up at him, clearly unsure of how he would react to having read her emotions over certain moments in her life.

He seemed to be unsure of how to take this, but then seemed to make up his mind, approaching her slowly.

She felt her heart racing, fearing as well as hoping he would do what she thought he just might. And he did.

Snape stood before her, reaching up to brush back a bit of Lilia's hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear with surprising gentleness even though the cold calculating expression on his face wouldn't give such an impression alone. He watched her tilted her head up to look at him almost pleadingly, so he complied. He leaned down to her level and pressed his lips against hers for the second time, cupping her cheek as he did so.

At first, Lilia froze and didn't respond as usual, but soon her lips began to mould to his, moving gently against his, both of them wanting to familiarize themselves with each other's kisses.

Snape then slid his hands to her waisdt, drawing her slightly closer to himself while she began to return the gesture, allowing him to pull her body closer, their hips touching slightly.

After some time, they parted and Lilia was surprised by how chaste the kiss had actually been, it really having been a comforting gesture so they could become familiar and comfortable with one another in such an intimate moment. Lilia swallowed, clearing her throat and looked away from his intensely scrutinizing gaze then, feeling embarrassed and exposed now.

He watched her for a second, then turned away, feeling oddly elated by being allowed to kiss her yet again. He had not proceeded very far with it, not wanting to overwhelm her or frighten her. It was shocking though, he much self control it had taken for him not to dominate the young girl thoroughly… but he would not ruin this chance. He couldn't stand to lose another one whom he had come to desire.

"I… uh… I suppose I should head back," she said softly, putting away her wand and glanced over at him.

He nodded, raising a brow. "The same time tomorrow, Miss. Gunner," he said with envious calm.

Lilia nodded and then looked away, taking off at a run to the Slytherin common room when she left his classroom, the energy flaring though her system needing to be used up somehow. When she reached the Slytherin common room, she sighed, speaking the password and stepped inside. Once there on her own, she leaned against the back of the door, biting her lower lip softly, twidling her fingers softly. She then pushed off the wall and headed up to the dormitories, a slight tug on the corner of her lip almost making her smile at the thought that Snape had kissed her again, and this time she had kissed him back. It had also lasted a little longer than the first.

Sighing after she got changed, she lay down in her bed and stared at the ceiling, then groaned softly and pulled the pillow out from under her, covering her face with it and closed her eyes, wondering how on earth she was supposed to think of her and Snape now. Never in her wildest dreams had she thought she would be in such an unbelievably complicated relationship… and with a professor no less.

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(( Hooray! J Chapter 19 ^^ Again, sorry for the half-ass chapter before xDD I wanted to get SOMETHING out but I knew when I finished it was terrible so here you go J An extra chapter AFTER I had a nap to make up for it J I hope you liked it ^^ More to come from this :D Please do review ^w^ Also, I hope I spelled the right spell word for Legilimency xD I tried to find it to make sure but I couldn't -w- So if it IS spelled wrong, then sorry about that J Pretty please forgive me 3 heehee ))


	20. Veritaserum

(( _ So I noticed in my little blurb thingies at the start and end of chapters, there are sometimes random J's everywhere… I have NO idea why LOL I didn't put them there myself so if you have been wondering don't be like "wow… she really must like the letter J" lmao. Anyways! I noticed there were quite a few spelling mistakes in the last chapter. Again, sorry about that I hope you guys still enjoyed the story! And at last, here we go with CHAPTER 20! OMIGOSH haha, I'm so excited :D

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter in any way shape or form. I WISH I owned Severus Snape though ;) Can't lie about that haha ))

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It was hard enough to focus in class on the required material in potions class when one was attracted to their professor a little, but it was an entirely different struggle to focus when one had kissed their professor, been held, and was meeting them later that night for more private lessons, which, if things kept going the same way, more not exact appropriate behaviour would ensue.

That was what Lilia thought to herself as she wrote down the potions lesson for that day, glancing up occasionally to watch Snape. It had never occurred to her that he just might have wanted her back in some way until the previous night. It still was an enormous shock to her system, but a good one nonetheless. In fact, she looked forward to her private lessons that evening even more than usual.

"What's up?" Dawn whispered to her suddenly, raising a sharp brow.

Lilia glanced at her and then looked back down at her notes. "Nothing," she said softly.

Dawn smirked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. "It isn't nothing, you were daydreaming. I've never seen you look so far off into space before," she whispered while Snape was still on the other side of the room.

Lilia glanced at her and then shrugged, looking back down. "I just have things to do… a lot on my mind," she said.

Dawn smirked even more. "Mhm, so who is he?" she asked.

Lilia tensed and could feel ice pooling down her spine. "Who's who?" she asked quietly.

"The guy you've been so desperately trying to sneak away into the night with," she smirked. "Don't think you've fooled me, I know you've been staying out late, so tell me. Is he an upper year? Is he a Slytherin?" she teased.

Lilia swallowed and shrugged. "Sort of… I suppose. And yes… he is Slytherin" she answered, figuring if she just answered the questions truthfully to some extent, Dawn would finally get off her case about the whole thing.

"Ohh," she grinned. "So? Do I know him?" she asked.

Lilia almost snorted with laughter. "You could say so," she replied.

Dawn grinned. "Okay, give me a hint," she said earnestly, nudging Lilia.

Lilia glanced at her… friend, she supposed. "He wears a lot of black," she said flatly.

Dawn looked at Lilia sceptically. "That's not fair. We all wear a lot of black," she pointed out.

Lilia shrugged. "You said you wanted a hint, not a very specific one," she clarified cheekily.

Dawn chuckled. "Alright fine, fine. I'll figure it out somehow," she smirked. "Just you watch," she nodded.

"I don't believe I permitted gossiping as part of the curriculum, Miss. Pyrites, Miss. Gunner," Snape said, standing behind them with a raised brow. "Or did I permit this sort of behaviour without my knowledge?" he asked lowly.

Dawn looked up at him wide eyed. "No sir, sorry sir. It won't happen again," she said honestly.

Snape watched Dawn for a moment, then glanced at Lilia.

Lilia swallowed and then looked down. "Sorry, sir…" she said calmly.

Snape nodded and turned away with that.

Dawn breathed a sigh of relief, writing in her book and then pushing it over to Lilia. 'He didn't give us detention! We must have done well on our last assignment,' Dawn had written.

Lilia read it and then nodded, looking at Dawn. Sure, the fact that Lilia just might be secretly having a relationship of some kind with her potions professor wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that they'd been granted only a warning look instead of a detention that morning. She sighed and glanced up at Snape, then went back to writing in her book, taking careful and precise notes.

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Umbridge's class was as usual, a complete waste of time. Lilia and Dawn sat through the majority of the class at the back, passing notes to one another during the time.

It was moments like this when Lilia was grateful to know Dawn and possibly call her a friend, even. If she didn't have her, then she would be forced to listen to the dreary and useless lecture of the Ministry's selected professor every single day. Fortunately, she didn't have to put up with the pink clad pig. She merely had to put up with Dawn and her constant pestering in regards to who Lilia was seeing.

_It's complicated…_ Lilia's note read.

_How can it possibly be complicated? You've been sneaking away for hours on end for the last few weeks!_ Dawn wrote back, glancing up to make sure Umbridge couldn't see.

_Because it just is!_ Lilia replied on the note, frowning. In truth though, she didn't know if it really was as complicated as she thought it was. She was more than willing to lose a few hours of sleep a night in order to see Snape, even if it was merely to practice D.A.D.A. and learn from him as a student. But what she realized was really complicated was what exactly were they? Were they together? Or not? She was extremely unsure, and hence didn't know how to address him in private or how to act. She sighed, slumping a little in her chair and looked up at Umbridge who paused to look at her.

"Is there a problem dear?" asked Umbridge in her usual perky manner.

Lilia glanced at Dawn and sat up straighter. "No, Ma'am…" she replied, most certainly not wanting to receive another horrendous detention from the woman.

She smiled daintily. "Alright," she said, batting her eyelashes and then resumed her lecture.

Lilia watched her for a moment, then glanced at Dawn who shrugged and grinned back at her.

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Lilia followed Snape down the hall later in the evening, curious as to what was going on. "So please tell me, what exactly we're doing?" she asked, looking up at the older man.

"Professor Umbridge has requested my assistance with something. It appears students within the school have been meeting secretly in something called The Room of Requirement. Because it conforms to those students requirements, no one else can access it without inside help. Hence, why she is submitting students to questioning. I am merely aiding the cause by providing her with something that will.. On essence, loosen students tongues," he said calmly.

She looked up at him in shock. "Veritaserum…" she said aghast. "But why? She is a dreadful woman. Guaranteed they're meeting for the same purpose you and I are, to actually learn what she won't teach," she snapped.

He frowned and stopped, grabbing her roughly by the shoulders and pinning he to the wall, leaning close. "You will not repeat those words outside of the classroom, Miss. Gunner. You know the rules. No secret groups, regardless of students or professors permitted within the castle. Normally I wouldn't care if we were somehow caught, however… because this is the Ministry itself planting its beliefs within this school, I don't wish to draw unnecessary attention to myself," he said calmly, letting her go. "Understood, Miss. Gunner?" he asked, raising a brow.

She rubbed her shoulder softly where he'd gripped a little harder than necessary but nodded. "Yes, sir," she said, moving to follow him again. "But… we're still… meeting, correct?" she asked.

He glanced around and then nodded, reaching his store room and opened the door. "Yes."

She nodded and waited for him to retrieve what they'd come for. Once obtaining the small bottle, they both headed to the Defence Against the Dark Arts room, passing students waiting to be questioned, and heading up to Umbridge's dreadfully pink office.

She lifted her head and smiled warmly. "Ah, Professor Snape. You are absolutely brilliant for helping me with this," she praised him modestly and then glanced at Lilia. "Ah, Miss. Gunner. May I ask why you are here?" she asked, raising her brows.

Lilia glowered up at her and was about to reply calmly with the first thing the came to mind when Snape stepped slightly in front of her. "She is with me for the evening. Serving detention…" he stated. "For the time being she will wait while you question students and I administer the serum. Unless of course this is… a problem in some way?" he asked, raising a brow at her, looking down the bridge of his nose challengingly at her.

She looked at Lilia for a moment, then up at Snape. "I suppose she can gain some learning experience from this. Just stand off to the side, dear and make sure you don't mess up anything," she said. With that, she called in the first student, seating them in the chair.

Snape stepped forward and motioned for the student to open their mouth, to which he let a few drops of the serum fall into. Within seconds they were spilling everything they knew, which for most students wasn't very much.

That was until the Cheng girl came in. She looked terrified as Snape poured the serum into her open mouth. And she knew what Umbridge was after.

Lilia felt uncomfortable, watching the poor fifth year girl spilling out everything she knew about Dumbledore's Army. That was the icing on the cake; Dumbledore's Army. Immediately it seemed Umbridge somehow knew that Dumbledore had been plotting to amass a group of students to help him take over the Ministry and steal Fudge's job.

Lilia rolled her eyes from the back corner where she stood waiting with a few upper year Slytherin's who all had on some odd pin. Glancing up, she noticed Malfoy sneering at her and glared hatefully at him, turning to look up at Snape when Cheng sat in her chair, crying with guilt at having helplessly and unwillingly told Umbridge everything about the group meeting in The Room of Requirement.

Snape looked up at Lilia and nodded, turning to the door, signalling for her to follow.

She glanced at Cheng almost sympathetically as Malfoy roughly pulled her up and Umbridge and her little groupies followed her upstairs to wherever Cheng led them to.

When Lilia and Snape reached the dungeon she looked up at him with a frown. "Why would you do such a thing? You know as well as I do Dumbledore doesn't want the Ministry job. Why wouldn't you say that?" she asked.

"Because that is your speculation, Miss. Gunner. It is none of my concern what happens to Potter and his group. Umbridge and Dumbledore will figure out how to go about it, and I must back down for I am not needed in that matter," he said calmly. "If Dumbledore is guilty then he will go to Azkaban for conspiring against the Ministry… however I do doubt this is the case, so I need not worry," he smirked. "Unlike you it seems, I have faith in the headmasters abilities to evade anything that comes his way," he said calmly.

She looked at him silently and then crossed her arms. "Fine… I suppose…" she muttered. "But if he is guilty, what will you do then?" she asked with a frown. "It's clear Umbridge will just take over the role the same way she's already done with most of the school," Lilia glowered at the thought. "I can't stand the thought of that awful woman holding all the power," she grumbled.

"If that day should come, then we will decide only then what course of action to take. For now, Miss. Gunner, we will focus on your lessons," he said calmly.

She glanced up at him and then nodded, pushing herself up from the desk and stood at the ready for her lessons.

When they finished, Lilia packed away her wand, then looked up at Snape. "Goodnight, Professor," she said.

He nodded. "Goodnight, Miss. Gunner…" he said calmly.

She waited a moment, expecting something more, but felt a little disappointed when he turned back to packing away his things for tonight's lessons. She licked her lips and turned towards the door, slipping out and went to her houses common room.

Once changed, she climbed into bed and sighed, laying down, only to heard a tell tale giggle from beside her bed. She sighed. "What do you want, Dawn?" she whispered.

Dawn rolled over in her bed to face Lilia and grinned. "So? How was the secret lover boy tonight, mmm?" she asked, raising a brow.

Lilia shrugged. "FIne, I suppose."

Dawn narrowed her eyes. "Did you two kiss tonight?"

Lilia glared at the wall in front of her and then rubbed her eyes, closing them. "No," she replied.

Dawn blinked. "Have you and this guy kissed at all, yet?" she asked, suddenly wondering if Lilia really was seeing anyone.

She paused and then nodded. "Yes… twice," she said.

Dawn grinned. "How was it?"

Lilia looked at Dawn a little uncomfortably and opened her mouth to speak. "It was… nice I suppose," she said.

Dawn looked at Lilia sceptically. "Nice? Just nice?"

Lilia shrugged. "Well the first time it was sort of… unexpected," she said.

Dawn snorted. "Well what did you expect? He's going to tell you right away he's going to kiss you?" she asked wit ha smirk.

Lilia sighed. 'No, but I don't think he expected it to happen either," she clarified. "It was a surprise for both of us, I think… but the second time it was nice… he was… gentle," she murmured, still surprised at how gentle Snape was when faced with such an intimate experience.

Dawn smirked. "Gentle… was there tongue?" she asked suddenly.

Lilia blushed and looked at Dawn wide eyed, feeling her stomach do a weird flip inside her at the thought of Snape using tongue on her. It just sounded very wrong. "No!" she hissed in the dark room. "Of course not," she glowered. "It was only our second kiss," she said firmly.

Dawn giggled. "Fine, fine. I was just curious what sort of girl you are when it comes to boys. I guess you're shyer than I expected," she said, laying on her back. "So… do you like him?" she asked.

Lilia thought about it and then nodded finally.

Dawn rolled her eyes. "I can't hear you," she said.

Lilia sighed. "Yes… I think so. Like I said, it's a little complicated," she said.

Dawn chuckled. "It's only complicated because you're letting it be. Just stop seeing it that way, relax and enjoy what comes," she said with a slight shrug. "Unless you're just nervous which is messing the whole thing up," she added.

Lilia glowered at her. "I am not messing things up. The situation itself is a little complicated for the both of us. Now if you don't mind I would like to get some sleep," she said, laying down.

Dawn grinned. "Oh, I'm sorry, did lover boy tire you out tonight with your late night activities?" she teased.

Lilia made a disgusted sound and threw her pillow at Dawn. "We have not!" she hissed, glancing at one of the other girls who stirred in her sleep on the other side of the room.

Dawn cackled in amusement. "Oh god, I love tormenting you, it's so much fun because you're always so serious," she smirked from her bed, tossing Lilia's pillow back to her. She then yawned and sighed. "But I suppose sleep isn't so bad right now," she murmured. "But just so you know, I will keep bugging you in the morning about this until you tell me who it is," she grinned, closing her eyes.

Lilia rolled her eyes a little. "I wouldn't doubt it…" she muttered, laying her head down on her pillow and quickly drifting off to sleep.

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(( Huzzah! Chapter 20 :D I'm so happy it's been going smoothly so far (for the most part ^w^) I really hope you guys are enjoying the plot so far and how its progressing between Lilia and Snape :D Obviously more will come in the up and coming chapters so do keep checking back for those :D Like I said, I will have atleast one chapter up a day ^^ So here is today's :D Hope you had fun reading it and please review and comment J I love checking what people think about my fan fic so far J ))


	21. Guilty Conscience

(( Yay J I'm so happy to see that there are literally hundreds of people reading my story xD I was like OMIGOSH! Haha :D Anywho, here is chapter 21. Sorry I couldn't upload it the day before :S For some reason I think the fan is busted on my laptop so now it keeps overheating al the time and turning off on its own _ Really sucky if you ask me -o- Anyways, here we go with another chapter J I hope you all enjoy it! ^w^

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter. I only wish I could come up with as extravagant a story as J.K. Rowling did D; ))

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Lilia watched as Filch the caretaker nailed yet another rule into the wall at Hogwarts, right outside the Great Hall so each student couldn't possibly miss the rules Umbridge wanted enforced at the legendary wizarding school. She narrowed her eyes at the new rule, which stated Umbridge had replaced Dumbledore as head of Hogwarts school.

She turned away and headed into the great hall, feeling just about ready to throw a temper tantrum from all these horrible and stupid rules which Umbridge had created for the student body to obey. It seemed with her latest take over of the position of Headmistress she took her power to a new extreme, apparently having given out detentions with the use of her quill to the entire group which had come to be identified as Dumbledore's Army.

In a way, Lilia had to commend the Potter boy for going about under Umbridge's nose the entire time with this secret group. Apparently it had been going on for quite some time as well. It made Lilia think of her lesson that evening which she knew without a doubt Snape would keep going, somehow knowing he wouldn't be one to submit quietly to one of Umbridge's ridiculous rules. After all, as far as she knew, he was still giving Harry his lessons at night in Occlumency as well.

Taking her seat, she grabbed a bit of breakfast for herself, hoping to avoid Dawn that morning. She wasn't exactly thrilled about Dawn constantly pestering her about who she was sneaking away into the night to see. Really, how on earth was Lilia supposed to casually bring up the fact that she was SORTOF possibly seeing Professor Snape. Simple, she just didn't.

Besides, she still wasn't entirely sure if they really were seeing each other. It was clear enough he had wanted to kiss her, and she him, but it was only twice and since then, he hadn't acted any differently towards her. At least not that she could see with the naked eye.

She was just about to finish breakfast and get up when Dawn slammed herself down into the spot next to Lilia and smirked.

"Thought you could avoid me so easily, did you, Gunner?" she asked with a cheeky grin. With that, she spun a bit to face the table and began to eat her own breakfast. "Alright, so spill. Who is it?" she asked without waiting or even a simple good morning.

Lilia shrugged and casually looked away.

Dawn narrowed her eyes. "Oh don't give me that. Why do you keep trying to hide it?" she mock pouted.

Lilia looked at her and raised a brow. "Because I enjoy tormenting you. It's so much fun," she said, repeating Dawn's words the other night.

Dawn looked at Lilia, her breakfast pastry stopping halfway to her mouth. "Oh my. Did you really just make a joke there, Lilia?" Dawn smirked.

Lilia rolled her eyes and looked out longingly towards the entrance to the Great Hall. She desperately wanted to get to class and then finish everything for the day merely so she could see Snape again. It was a bit disturbing for her to want so badly for one class to come, especially the one so latest in the day. She hated the nagging feeling it brought when she would glance at the time and see there were still several hours to go before she could have her lessons.

Dawn nudged her and frowned. "Come on, another hint at least," she said.

Lilia sighed and gave it some thought then looked at Dawn. "He has black hair too," she said calmly.

Dawn groaned. "Come on, you must give me something a little more specific than that," she whined. "It's so hard if you tell me traits that the majority of the students here have. I mean, sure there are just as many brunettes as blondes, but still," she pouted. "It's so cruel of you to keep me so in the dark," she said dramatically.

Lilia almost had to smile at her friend's comment, almost, then stood and yawned softly. "I suppose I'll see you later in Potions," she said, turning to go.

Dawn watched her friend go and then sighed, finishing her breakfast quickly after and then went to her first class of the morning as well.

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"Feeling sentimental?" Snape asked Harry, clearly having invaded his mind with ease again.

Harry panted and looked at the potions professor angrily. "That's private!" he gasped.

"Not to me…" Snape said coldly. "And not to the Dark Lord if you don't improve," he said. He leaned close to Harry then. "Every memory he has access to is a weapon he can use against you. You won't last two seconds if he invades your mind," he told him seriously. With that he narrowed his eyes slightly. "You're just like your father. Lazy, arrogant," Snape told Harry.

Lilia leaned against the door to the other room, listening to the things Snape said and frowned, wondering why he was so spiteful towards Harry. As far as she knew, the boy hadn't actually done anything personal to Snape, and yet the way he spoke to him seemed very personal.

"Don't say a word against my father!" Harry cried out.

"Weak," Snape snapped.

"I'm not weak!"

"Then prove it," Snape said insistently. "Control your emotions. Discipline your mind." He frowned and raised his wand again, pointing it at Harry and spoke the word which would gain him entry to the fifth year's thoughts and emotions. After a few mere seconds, Snape spoke again before he let go. "I may vomit…" he commented on whatever he was seeing.

"Stop it!" Harry gasped from the other room.

Lilia remained silent in the dark room, grateful for the open window in the upper corner which let in some moonlight, rather than it being pitch black where she stood, waiting for Harry to finish she her own lessons could resume.

"Is this what you call control..?" Snape taunted calmly.

"We've been at it for hours! If I could just rest," Harry almost pleaded.

Snape quickly came at Harry, the fifteen year old stumbling back up against a desk. "The Dark Lord isn't resting," Snape told him firmly. "You and Black, you're two of a kind, sentimental children, forever whining about how bitterly unfair your lives have been," Snape said coldly, hatred in his eyes, thinking about his own past and how unfair and cruel it had turned out, but also of Lilia and her past and currently life, who stood just a few meters away in another room, listening to what he was saying. "Well, it may have escaped your notice, but life isn't fair," he told him, glaring at the boy. "Your blessed father knew that, in fact he frequently saw to it," he stated.

"My father was a great man!" Harry said defensively, glaring at Snape.

Snape glared back and roughly grabbed Harry's shirtfront, tossing him back into the chair. "Your father was a swine," Snape said matter of factly.

Lilia frowned, glancing at the wood of the door itself, wondering what on earth had made Snape react so cruelly to Harry of all people. She guessed they must have been close in age, maybe even in the same age group when they were in school, but what had actually transpired between them to make Snape carry over his hate for James Potter on to Harry even after all this time?

Just as Snape was about to enter Harry's mind yet again, Harry exclaimed a counter spell and entered Snape's instead.

There was only a moment of quiet and then Snape cried out "Enough!"

Lilia swallowed and held her breath, wondering what Harry had seen in Snape's mind that she herself might never even imagine.

"Enough…" Snape said in an almost acid tone, clutching onto the table for support. Snape approached Harry with a very serious and gaunt expression upon his face. "Your lessons are at an end…" he told him, clutching his shirt front up roughly in the air. When Harry tried to speak in defence of himself, Snape cut him off. "Get… out…" he told him, relinquishing his hold on him, watching as Harry left his line of vision and then the classroom itself.

Snape stood silently for a moment, then managed to move, heading to the room where Lilia was in and opened the door, walking in silently. He then looked at Lilia with a cold frown and gestured for her to leave.

She stood, looking up at him in concern. "Professor?" she whispered.

"Go…" he said. "Your lessons are postponed for tonight…" he said, much too angered to deal with even her.

Lilia looked at him and saw that there was something very wrong going on inside his mind. "Snape…?" she asked quietly, for the first time feeling concern for the older man. She approached him when he didn't respond, placing a hand upon his arm and looking up at him. "Severus?" she whispered.

Snape glanced at her when she used his first name and met her gaze, staring into those green eyes. Green eyes so much like another girl's… a girl he'd never gotten the chance to hold or touch or kiss. But here stood Lilia, quite possibly the one that he could do all the things with, which he'd been so cruelly torn away from long before. "What?" he asked finally.

She looked at him and swallowed, wanting to somehow be there for him, the way he had been there for her when she was in pain, albeit a different form of it. But she didn't know what specifically was wrong, and so didn't know how to truly comfort him. She'd never comforted anyone in her life. So she merely slid her arms around his waist from behind and rested her cheek against his backside, closing her eyes. "Please don't send me away tonight…" she whispered. "We don't have to do lessons, honest. I just don't want to leave right now," she said.

Snape stared ahead, feeling a guilty and sorrowful pang in his heart. Lilia couldn't possibly understand how he felt right at that moment. She was not only just a child, but it wasn;t exactly a situation he could simply sit her down to and tell her like it was nothing… because it wasn't nothing. He still loved Lily. He always had and he knew he always would. But then there was Lilia… someone who was alive while Lily lay dead for years now. Lilia was the one who held onto him even if she had no reason to, who stood by his side right at this moment, knowing something was troubling him but refusing to leave, while Lily had refused to know him any more after he'd used a derogatory word towards his beloved friend. He felt guilt worm its way into his heart at the thought of Lilia possibly harbouring feelings for him after they had kissed so willingly with one another, while he himself did care for her, but also still loved someone else who couldn't be replaced in his heart.

He finally looked down at the small arms around his waist which tried to desperately to convey comfort to him. He reached up and placed his hands over hers gently, not saying anything for some time. "I think it is time for you to go to bed, Miss. Gunner…" he said finally.

She opened her eyes and slowly let go, looking up at him. She slid her hands away and then looked down, feeling defeated and useless by his essential rejection. She stepped away and then slowly turned, reaching for the door. She opened it but was startled when a hand came from above her and slammed it closed again.

She felt fear spread like wildfire throughout her body for a moment, but relaxed when that same hand slid down over her own and gently touched her skin. She swallowed and slowly turned around, looking up at Snape, shocked to see the pained look that briefly flitted through his eyes.

She reached up, feeling a painful stab in her heart, her hands delicately reaching up to cup Snape's face, her fingers softly tracing over the lines in his face, over his imperfect nose which she'd come to love seeing each morning… over his lips which had felt so perfectly moulded to her own a little while ago… Her eyes met his and for a moment she was unsure and hesitant as to whether or not she should continue such intimate movements, but those doubts and fears slipped away when his hand cupped her right cheek and brought her lips to his, kissing her for the third time.

She let her eyes slip closed and slowly slid her arms around his neck, her fingers very gently tangling loosely into his jet black hair which was surprisingly pleasant to the touch. She felt his hands slide to her waist and draw her closer than before, firmly pressing their bodies together while she parted her lips against his, inviting him into her mouth, which he more than willingly complied with, slipping his tongue in to explore the wet cavern of her mouth. She blushed and tried to stifle a groan which escaped her at the pleasant feeling of their tongues curiously entwining within their mouths.

Snape was a little surprised at the soft groan which escaped his student, but felt the man in him desire more of that sound, pressing her even more firmly to the door while she instinctually manoeuvred herself higher, her leg hiking up onto his hip.

He got the message and lifted her up higher, smirking into the kiss when she wrapped her legs around his waist and pressed closer to him.

Both were fierce and desperate in their motions, desiring comfort and love from one another which had for so long been denied to the two of them.

After some time, Lilia pulled away and rested her forehead against Snape's, both of them panting softly after such an intense kiss… or more like a make out session in Lilia's mind. A good one, though, she thought. She opened her eyes and looked into his, feeling a strange sensation deep inside her as she held onto him, firmly held between her professor and the door behind her back. "Professor…" she whispered, unsure what to call him now.

"Severus…" he murmured, reaching up to brush back a section of her hair and looked back into her eyes.

She looked into his eyes then and slowly slid herself down off him and back to the floor, looking away abashedly. "Severus…" she said softly, sounding out the name which had been given with permission by her professor to use now. She lifted her eyes and looked up at him. "What… what exactly, am I to you?" she asked him softly.

He frowned, looking at her calmly. "You are my student first anf foremost," he answered without hesitation.

She felt disappointment wash over her at his words and she had to force herself to swallow the sob which had so suddenly tried to come up.

"However…" he said and smirked. "In private… I'm not entirely sure myself…" he said calmly. "You must remember, this isn't the sort of relationship we can casually bring into the open," he explained.

She looked surprised by the word 'relationship'.

He paused and frowned at her. "What?"

She shook her head. "Nothing, go on," she said quickly.

He looked at her suspiciously and then sighed. "As I was saying… this is private… If others were to learn of it not only would they be appalled by the significant age difference between us, but I can assure you I would lose my job and you very well would be expelled for involving yourself with a professor. It must not be divulged to anyone besides ourselves," he said seriously.

She knew it was true, so she nodded. "I understand. It's a secret I promise not to tell to anyone," she assured him.

He smirked and nodded, watching her for a moment.

She watched him as well, and then realized why he was staring. She was smiling. Truly smiling. The realization made her gasp and cover her mouth quickly, her cheeks turning bright pink.

Snape smirked and turned away. "Goodnight, Miss. Gunner," he told her.

She nodded, biting her lower lip and reached for the door again. She then paused and looked up at him. "Lilia," she said.

He frowned and looked over his shoulder at her. "Excuse me?"

"Lilia… I want you to call me by my name from now on when we're in private," she said, hoping he would.

He narrowed his eyes, unsure if this was a good idea or not, but then nodded. "Alright…" he said and then waved her away.

She nodded and closed the door behind her, heading to the Slytherin common room for the night.

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He wanted to strangle something. He wanted to break everything around him and scream in agony over the guilt he now felt. Instead of sending her off to be,d he'd gone ahead and kissed her again, this time with far more passion than he thought he could possible muster for someone other than Lily.

Lily…

His heart ached over the thought of the woman he had always loved so dearly in his heart, even if it was secret to only himself and Dumbledore.

He felt disgusted wit himself over the way he could love Lily so much and yet disrespect her memory by going ahead and feeling things for a girl like Lilia.

Lilia….

How could he possibly look himself in the mirror now, knowing he'd gone ahead and confirmed that they were in fact in some sort of relationship now, when he still loved another, even if she was dead and had been for some time.

He leaned forward against his desk and closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath, feeling horribly conflicted on the inside. Not only was it unfair to himself, but it was horribly unfair to Lilia to do this to her. It would only hurt her… .completely crush her in the end if she ever knew.

So he decided. He would do everything he could to keep it from her. He could not risk losing her, not when they could have so much together if things went well. He wanted her to trust him and care for him the way he did her… He wanted her, and would do everything he could to keep her, even if it meant hiding certain parts of himself from her.

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(( BUM BUM BUMMMMMM lol :P Chapter 21! ^^ I hope you all liked it :D I hope it was as dramatic and :O as I wanted it to be xD Again, sometimes it might seem like one step forward and two steps back because OBVIOUSLY Snape is conflicted with this whole thing for more than one reason, and also, Snape is so anti social and introverted and Unemtoional xD Which he clearly isn't when he's all over Lilia like he was here *waggles eyebrows* xDDD Nah, I'm just trying to convey his frustration as well as desires in a way that makes sense and is realistic, so I HOPE I'm doing a decent job of it J Please review and lemme know what you think ^^ ))


	22. Secret Motives

(( :O Not one review for the last chapter? TT_TT I'm so sad *sniffle* Anyways here is chapter 22 J I'm uploading it early today because I have to be at work for the closing shift this time haha :P Meaning I'll be way too tired to wanna write and upload later on xD

Also, again… these weird J's keep appearing in the disclaimer and little blurbs xD for the life of me I don't know why they're there but not in my document on the laptop O_o Ah well, just ignore the random letters here and there xDD

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the affiliated works. I truly sincerely wish I did, because then I could proudly boast how I own Severus Snape and Lucius Malfoy buuuutttt alas I don't *face palm* ))

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Lilia sat outside that afternoon, classes off for the day due to O.W.L.'s taking place the majority of the day. She read one of the few books she owned and cherished, turning the pages which had been worn very well by her constant touching and turning. She lifted her head when a slight shadow fell over her and was disappointed to see it was nothing but a dark cloud waywardly covering the sun.

Lately, she had been hoping more and more to catch glimpses of Snape, talk to him whenever she could, see him as much as was possible in their busy schedules within the perimeters of the school.

When she'd asked Dawn about it, Dawn had grinned widely. "Oh my god! Lilia, you fancy him!" she'd barked and laughed. "I never thought I would see the day," she grinned, moving to Lilia's bed that morning when they were still getting dressed. "How long have you been feeling this way?"

Lilia had shrugged when Dawn asked her, truly not knowing how long she had felt that way about Snape. She hadn't even noticed when it had first begun which she figured must have been some time ago after all.

Dawn giggled. "Aww, I think you should go for it all the way," she said with a grin. "If he fancies you and you fancy him, what's to stop you from making it official?" she asked.

Lilia glanced at Dawn sceptically. "Oh I don't know. Maybe the fact that I'm not sure if I want to go all the way?" she suggested.

Dawn glowered at Lilia. "Oh come on. What's stopping you?"

Lilia looked at her and shook her head, looking down. "It's personal… I really don't want to bring it up," she explained. "And besides, we only just sort of… confirmed it the other night," she said. "Verbally I mean," she added before Dawn could make another one of her snide remarks.

Dawn pouted. But she'd noticed for a moment there when Lilia had mentioned she had personal reasons for not going all the way with her secret boyfriend, Dawn had seen just how much Lilia had changed that year. She'd sounded like her old self for a moment, deadened inside, hollowed out and alone. She hadn't looked or sounded that way in a long time. Sure she was still a very serious student and she didn't smile as far as Dawn could remember, but she had some form of life in her eyes and in her step when she moved in this last year. It occurred to Dawn that perhaps this relationship Lilia had found for herself was much better for her than she realized.

With that, Dawn had put her hand upon Lilia's shoulder and smiled truly for the first time with her. "You know what? Take your time with it. If he's worthy of you he'll actually wait unlike most of the pigs in this school," she chuckled. "Besides, you seem… better since you first mentioned this to me," she said.

"More like you weasled it out of me," Lilia pointed out as she stood to pull on her cloak that morning.

Dawn grinned. "My my, you and your sarcastic jokes. I think I like this new Lilia," she laughed.

Lilia glanced at her for a moment, then looked in the mirror, seeing that there really was something different about her. Her eyes seemed a little brighter than they had been a year ago. Like there was more awareness for the world she was seeing with them. There was a hint of color in her cheeks and she didn't look so exhausted and zombie-like anymore. She seemed… almost normal.

That had only been that morning. Lilia sighed and closed her book, standing up and made her way back to the castle so she could get some rest in before dinner that evening and her possible classes, though she doubted it, judging by the amount of work Snape had on his hands with the upcoming O.W.L.'s for his classes.

Making her way down the halls of Hogwarts, she noticed the same twins from the train ride several months ago. The Weasleys, she remembered them.

One of them looked up and smiled. "Hey! Look who it is! You remember our friend, George?" he asked.

George grinned and nodded. "I think I do, Fred. Lilia, right?" he asked with a smile.

Lilia approached them and nodded. She then looked down at hat they had in their hands and raised a brow. "Fireworks?" she asked. "What for?"

George grinned. "We decided our skills lie outside academics, you see. We're deciding to test out our newest product right here in the castle."

Fred chuckled. "Yea. Umbridge will be our most honoured test subject," he said.

Lilia blinked and looked at them slightly unsure. "What do you mean? You aren't going to hurt the woman are you? I mean I know she's a nightmare and all, but she's still a human being," she said.

Fred hooted with laughter. "Naw, just a bit of a spook really," he explained. "Come on. The O.W.L.'s are going on right now in the Great Hall. We should be able to get her there," he said.

Lilia raised her brows and followed.

"I wouldn't recommend you coming in with us though. You don't have a broomstick on you," one of them explained, Lilia not sure who was who.

That was when Lilia noticed they did in fact both have their broomsticks on them. She frowned, wondering why as she tried to keep up. "Wait, so you're just going to throw a bunch of fireworks at Umbridge?" she asked.

"Not at all," said one of the red heads with a laugh. "Just you wait and see."

When they reached the staircase just outside the Great Hall, Fred… or George motioned for Lilia to stand still. "Just wait right over there," he said, pointing to the alcove just a few meters away from the doors. "Pretend your studying or something," he said, motioning to her book.

Lilia looked down at her novel, frowning at how on earth she was supposed to make it look like she was studying from a novel, but then nodded, wanting to see for herself what the Weasley twins were talking about.

With that, she ran over to stand near one of the pillars, and watched as the Weasley twins high fived and then set off one firecracker, then another… and another, obviously causing a terrible ruckus to the fifth years writing their examinations.

Finally, Dolores Umbridge stepped out of the hall and looked around in confusion as a flare of some sort fizzled its way around her, landing on her nose, then shooting away and into the Great Hall, exploding in a shower of blue sparks.

Lilia's eyes widened slightly, then looked up as the twins suddenly soared down the stairs and into the Great Hall, cheering in excitement, throwing up fireworks of all sizes and colors into the air. It was an absolutely wonderful sight and of course it drew all sorts of students to the sound.

That was when the dragon appeared. Not a real one of course, a firework dragon, groaning as it moved through the air and at Umbridge, chasing her down the aisles of students desks, the little pink pig screaming in fear as she ran, trying to get away from the enormous mouth of it.

Just outside the Great Hall though, it snapped its jaws shut, exploding in an enormous reign of color and sparks, destroying the rules posted all over the wall outside the hall. After a moment of silence, everyone waiting for something else to happen, they all fell to the ground.

With that, the Weasley twins soared over Umbridge's head, just barely missing kicking her on the way out.

Of course, all the fifth years ran out cheering and following the example of the vivacious twins, everyone streaming out into the courtyard. Not only were the fifth years cheering as the enormous W for Weasley filled the sky, but students from other grades and classes as well, Lilia among them of course, even if not cheering. She simply couldn't help but smile faintly at the sight of it all as she stood in the entrance which was now open, students still streaming out into the courtyard through it.

She was just about to summon up the courage to go out and be with Dawn whom she spotted in the crowd, when a hand clamped down on her shoulder. For a moment she was terrified it was Umbridge, bringing the blame down on to her for some ridiculously stupid reason, but turned and saw it was Snape. His gaze told her to follow, so she did.

As she turned to follow him, she looked up and noticed the Weasley twins wink at her. She frowned, wondering if they knew something she didn't, but shook away the premonition and followed her professor back into the school.

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"Just what were you thinking, involving yourself with those… ruffians?" Snape asked her as he led her to his potions classroom.

She sighed. "I didn't involve myself. I was just there when it happened," she said.

He frowned. "Don't lie to me, Miss. Gunner. I saw you making your way to the Great Hall with them," he said. "Anyone else might have seen you as well."

She hadn't thought about that and bit her lip, following him into the classroom and sat down when he motioned for her to sit.

"You don't seem to realize the amount of trouble this could turn to," he said. "You might be expelled for being near those two right before they made a mess of the examinations. The time for the fifth years now has to be rescheduled and because you were spotted with them, you might be expelled along with those two," he said seriously.

She swallowed, looking at him, the thought of being expelled terrifying her. If she was expelled from Hogwarts, she would be trapped at home for good with her monstrosity of a father.

Snape frowned, seeing the state she was just about to slip into and approached her, grasping her shoulders and looked in her eyes. "I will not allow it to happen," he said with clenched teeth. "Especially not now," he said. "If anyone asks, you were here serving detention with me from lunch until 5 pm," he said.

She looked at him aghast. "A five hour detention?" she exclaimed. "That's absolutely ludicrous! No one will believe it!" she exclaimed.

Snape raised a brow. "No? Tell me, Miss. Gunner. Exactly how long do you think it takes to reorganize all the potions in this room alphabetically, clean the shelves and make sure all the ingredients that other students have so unsystematically put away, back into order?" he asked her.

She looked at him silently and then shrugged. "Five hours, I'm guessing?"

He raised a brow. "I would assume so, especially for a student who has probably never done a days work in her life," he said.

She was just about to snap at him angrily that chores were literally the least of her worries at home and he should know that, but he raised his hand for her to shut her mouth.

"Yes I know, you have other things on your mind, I merely meant to someone who doesn't know you, this is what it would look like. Hence, a five hour detention would appear believable to anyone who asked," he said.

She'd nearly forgotten this was a discussion about detention, not her lack of house keeping abilities. She nodded then. "Yes, sir," she said.

He nodded. "Good, now, if I'm correct, you still have another hour of detention to get through," he said.

She looked at him in disbelief.

"However, if you choose to be efficient about it, we can make that hour worth while… with a lesson," he said.

She looked at him hopefully, realizing it had been a week since her last lesson with him, due to the upcoming examinations which he'd had to focus on preparing for his students. She simply nodded, rising from her seat. "Yes sir," she said insistently.

He nodded and stood, preparing for another lesson now that he at least had the time for the next hour before dinner.

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About forty minutes into their lessons, there was a knock at the door. Snape frowned, motioning for her to rearrange some of the bottles on the shelves while he put away his wand just as one of the upper year Slytherins entered the classroom.

"Professor, the Headmistress would like to see you in her office," he said, "And she said to bring the Veritaserum," he stated matter-of-factly.

Lilia turned at the sound of the familiar voice and narrowed her eyes at Draco.

Draco sneered at her. "Heh, filthy Mud Blood. Got yourself into another detention I see," he said nastily. "Serves you right, none of you belong here," he taunted.

Snape frowned and stepped in his line of vision, narrowing his eyes at Draco. "Enough, Draco. Go ahead, I'll be there in a moment," he said, watching the blonde leave his potions room and then glanced at Lilia. "Come," he ordered.

She nodded and put down the bottle she was holding and followed him, still feeling acid in her mouth at the sight and sound of Draco up ahead.

On the way there, Ginny Weasley and Neville Longbottom were caught by Draco and another student, much to Lilia's distaste and son they were all filing into the D.A.D.A. classroom.

Snape paused and looked at her. "You will wait here for me, whatever she wants, I'll deal with quickly," he muttered, stepping away from Lilia calmly.

"Caught this one trying to help the Weasley girl," Draco announced, stepping into Umbridge's office with Neville.

Just as Snape began climbing the few stairs up to the pink office, an audible slap was heard from inside the room just as he turned to stand in the doorway. "You sent for me, Headmistress?" he asked, looking at the scene with a frown.

She stood and looked up at him. "Snape, yes. The time has come for answers, whether he wants to give them to me or not," she said firmly. "Have you brought the Veristaserum?" she asked.

"I'm afraid you've used up all my stores, interrogating students… the last of it on Miss. Cheng," he said calmly.

Lilia stood at the bottom of the stairs, remembering how that had gone and frowned, remembering the bottle was still filled with some potion when he'd stoppered it the last time she saw. He was lying… She looked up, wondering who he was protecting.

Snape looked at the other students, noticing how relieved they looked. "Unless you wish to poison him, and I assure you I would have the greatest sympathies if you did, I cannot help you," he said calmly. Just as he turned to leave, Harry spoke.

"He's got Padfoot," Harry said.

Lilia felt her blood freeze for a moment, hearing Harry. Snape had just protected Harry? But why? She thought he hated the boy. Then again… he had said he would pretty much support the idea of poisoning Harry just a moment ago. She frowned, looking up at him.

Snape met Lilia's eyes for a moment.

"He's got Padfoot at the place where it's hidden," Harry said clearly.

"Padfoot, what is Padfoot? Well what is hidden, what is he talking about, Snape?" Umbridge demanded to know in a quick series of questions.

Snape turned to look at Harry with a serious expression, and then at Umbridge. "No idea…" he said finally with a shake of his head.

Umbridge nodded, "Very well…" she said tensely.

With that, Snape nodded and left, motioning for Lilia to follow.

Just outside the classroom, she frowned, looking up at him. "What is Padfoot, Severus?" she asked, seeing as the hallways were empty.

He frowned. "Nothing to concern yourself with," he said tensely.

She frowned. "Why did you do it" she asked, following him back down the stairs to the dungeons.

He glanced at her as they walked. "Do what?" he asked.

"Protect him," she stated. "Why did you protect Potter?" she asked. "You sounded like you wanted him dead only a few weeks ago, but here you protected him," she said.

He stopped just outside the potions classroom and glared at her. "What are you saying?"

She narrowed her eyes. "You lied to Umbridge. You do still have Veritaserum left. I saw it after you gave it to Cho," she said. "But you wouldn't use it on him. Why?" she demanded to know.

He moved closer to her, leaning in uncomfortably close, a menacing look in his eyes. "What I chose to do there is no concern of yours, Miss. Gunner. My actions are based on experiences you cannot understand at this point in your life. Hence, they are none of your business," he said.

She glared up at him. "My life is no business of yours either, and yet you know all about it. And yet I don't really know anything about you," she said.

Snape eyed her wearily. "In time, you will learn… for now, leave it be, Miss. Gunner. They are not things for you to concern yourself with at the present time," he said, opening the door to his classroom. "It is nearly 5. You're dismissed," he said, closing the door behind him.

She stood for a moment, glaring angrily at the door, hating how Snape never told her anything while he knew so much about her by now. Not only had he just let her go in the summer and seemed to be doing so again, but he never told her anything, leaving her confused and in the dark. He was such an infuriating man at times. But she decided one way or another she would have to get him to tell her the truth of why he hated Harry and yet protected him from any danger that he could.

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(( Tada! J Chapter 22 J I hope it was good ^^ Please review and lemme know what you all think of it. I greatly enjoy hearing from you all ^^ Anyways, off to another day of work at Marineland! Haha :D ))


	23. Taboo

(( Holy crap people xD I come home after work and find my inbox full of 11 reviews, subscriptions and adding to fav thingies :P AWESOMEEEE I feel so accomplished when I see these things -w- Haha :P I'm SOO happy that everyone thinks I'm doing a good job of keeping Snape in character :D That puts a huge smile on my face, honestly haha :D He is so ridiculously hard to keep in character xD Also, I've gotten some reviews from people saying "lemon! Soon!" xDD Be patient! Patience is a virtue lmao :P Anyways, I'm really happy that everyone likes the story so far :D It makes me glad ^^ Anywho, here Ic chapter 23 as promised :D I hope you all enjoy it ^w^

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the affiliated works Dx How unfortunate, no? :P If I did, there would be loads more focus on Snape ;) Mmmm…LOL I'm such an inner pervert xD ))

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"Make it a taboo," Snape said firmly, frowning as he looked at Dumbledore.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" he asked.

"Yes," he said, the look in his eyes conveying as much. "The school year is almost over and she still hasn't asked for any help," he said, clearly frustrated with Lilia's stubbornness. "If you jinx my name and tailor it so when she utters it, I will appear to help her when she speaks it over the summer," he said.

Dumbledore looked over his half moon spectacles at Snape with a slightly amused expression. "Why do you think she hasn't asked you for help even now?" he asked.

"The girl has far too much pride," he said with obvious irritation. "She wouldn't willingly come to me and ask for help if she was about to die right in front of me," he growled.

Dumbledore chuckled. "Reminds me of someone…" he uttered calmly and stood. "Alright… I suppose if this is one thing you're sure you want, then I will assist you in tabooing your name when it comes to her," he said. "I think… perhaps you should choose a taboo other than Professor Snape, however," he said and nodded. "Perhaps your first name," he suggested.

Snape thought about it and then nodded. "Yes, I suppose it will do," he said.

Dumbledore nodded. "Alright. Consider it done," he said. "However, you must promise me, Severus, you will not pursue her over the summer even if you have good intentions when doing so. Without your explicit invitation to help, you would be overstepping your boundaries as a Hogwarts professor," he said seriously.

Snape knew it was the truth, and how stressful it had been to sit over the summer, trying so hard to ignore the itching in his mind to find her and help her…. But he had stuck to the rules and not gone. And now he wanted to murder even himself, remembering the horrid memories he had glimpsed within her mind. And those had only been from the previous summer. He looked at Dumbledore and nodded. "I understand…" he said calmly.

Dumbledore nodded and gestured politely for Snape to leave his office that evening.

Once out in the halls, Snape nodded and parted ways with his headmaster, heading down the corridor.

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"Sleep," he said in a low voice as he entered the girls dormitory. His spell rendered all the girls unconscious for the time he needed, so Dumbledore entered and approached Lilia calmly.

Leaning over the sleeping girl, he found himself wondering what drew Snape so much to Lilia. She was only a mere student. It was not his business to ask however. Only to aid his friend when he asked for it… as long as he could.

It only took a few moments for Dumbledore to jinx the word and tailor it specifically so only if Lilia said it, he would be alerted of her need for him.

When it was done, he nodded and dismissed himself, leaving the room then.

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Dawn watched as Lilia guzzled down a goblet full of water that morning at breakfast with surprise. "Something the matter?" she asked her.

"Yea. My tongue feels like there's some annoying film stuck on it. It was worse this morning but I can't get rid of it completely it seems," she sighed, rinsing her mouth with distaste. "Ugh, whatever… hopefully it will just go away later," she said glumly.

Dawn giggled. "My my, that is a problem. I guess you won't be French kissing your boyfriend tonight will you?" she suggested.

Lilia glowered at Dawn, just about ready to slug her down to the floor.

It was then that the owls flew in, delivering the post that morning.

Dawn looked up as her own owl flew overhead and dropped a parcel her way. Reading the name, she smiled. "Cimbeline's wrote to us again," she said.

Cimbeline had transferred to the Beaubaton's Academy for girls that year, her mother and father moving out to France. Dawn had been disappointed, but Lilia had actually been a little relieved to have a bit more breathing room with Cimbeline gone.

"What's it say?" she asked her.

Dawn read over it and then grinned. "She wants to congratulate us on another successful year, and you on FINALLY opening up to some chap," she teased.

Lilia looked at Dawn aghast. "You told her?" she asked.

Dawn snorted. "How could I not? It's so precious. Little miss anti-social is with someone," she grinned. "Oh come on. You've actually acted pretty much normal since you mentioned it, and that's good. There's nothing wrong with being with someone. Merlin's beard Lilia, just relax and enjoy this time while it lasts," she said with a sincere smile. "Cimbeline and I are happy for you, see?" she said, passing the letter to Lilia.

She looked at Dawn wearily but took the small piece of parchment filled with loopy and neat handwriting. She read over how Cimbeline was just finishing up her classes as well, and how she was glad things were going well at Hogwarts. She asked yet again if Lilia could write her a letter and send it through Dawn's owl, which Lilia refused, never knowing what to say on a piece of parchment to anyone - she only told Dawn a little of what to say, so she would write it. She finally handed it back after reading it and shrugged. "Fine… I suppose it's alright," she said finally.

Dawn giggled. "It is, now come on, let's finish breakfast and wander before our tests," she said, reaching for probably her fourth buttered biscuit.

"Watch youself of you'll get fat," Lilia said bluntly, eating her own second piece of toast with butter.

Dawn looked at Lilia with shock. "Don't be so mean!" she said, but laughed, happily eating up her biscuit anyways.

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"It is done?" Snape asked Dumbledore in the corridor when he happened upon him.

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, Severus. It is done. When she ever uses your first name, you will be alerted of her presence. Clearly, if she mentions it during her stay here, you have no need to worry," he chuckled. "However, if she mentions it outside of school, then you best use your apparition spell with great caution," he warned him. "She is muggle born. Meaning if you were to merely apparate outside her home in the presence of several muggles, you may alarm someone who doesn't need to be traumatized," he chuckled.

Snape nodded, understanding the element of danger that doing this brought. "And if she doesn't use my first name?" he asked.

Dumbledore sighed. "Severus… you know you cannot interfere outside of school perimeters of not presented with the invitation to do so. You must hold yourself back and let do what will be done," he explained. "However… I think that if the girl desires your help, she will eventually say it," he assured him. "Without knowing what it will bring, of course," he chuckled.

Snape frowned, but nodded tensely, stepping away. "Thankyou, headmaster," he said calmly, turning to go to his fifth year potions examination which was to take place in a matter of minutes.

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(( I know, I know, short chapter :P But obviously from the title you can see why xD I wanted to focus on this little taboo thing that they gave as an unknown option to Lilia J SO! I hope you all like it ^w^ Even if it's short xD I dunno if a jinx like that can be tailored specifically to one person but it is now! *crosses arms* lol :P Anywho, please review J I enjoy hearing from you all ^w^ Off to yet another day at work :P ))


	24. A Hopeful Proposition

(( Yay J Chapter 24! ^^ I'm glad everyone keeps commending me for keeping Snape in character J It's so hard sometimes xD But It seems to be going well for the most part :D So keep up the reviews! They've been so good so far ^w^ I love hearing from you, my readers :D

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the affiliated works Dx If I did, I guarantee I would be out spending that 800,000 earned from the books alone xDDDD ))

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Lilia glanced up from the book she was reading in the hall and then did a double take, frowning. She glanced over at Dawn who was snoozing in the sunlight streaming through the window and nudged her. "When did Professor Dumbledore come back?" she asked.

Dawn opened her eyes and turned to look at the disappearing silhouette of the Headmaster. She shrugged. "I think he came back sometime last night. I heard the prefects talking about Umbridge being sacked from the position," she giggled. "Something about angering the centaurs with her sheer stupidity," she said and closed her eyes again, seeming rather relaxed by this.

Lilia frowned and looked back down the hall.

"Personally, I think it's a splendid way to end the year," she said and grinned. "I'd much rather have my last memory of the school be a speech from Dumbledore than a chide lecture from Umbridge," she pointed out.

Lilia had to agree with that one, eventually going back to her book.

"One more day!" Dawn suddenly exclaimed.

Lilia jumped and looked at her crimson haired friend with a raised brow. "Is it really necessary to yell like that?" she asked, rubbing her ear softly.

Dawn giggled. "Oh come on. One more exam and then we get to go home. Aren't you excited at all?" she asked.

Lilia rolled her eyes. "Thrilled…" she muttered.

Dawn pouted. "Aww, why don't you come and stay with me over the summer for a little while?" she asked.

Lilia shrugged. "My father wouldn't let me," she said calmly.

Dawn huffed. "Oh come on, he wouldn't say no to my pretty little face, would he?" she pouted jokingly.

Lilia shrugged. "My father is a first rate ass. He would say no to a starving kitten if presented with the situation accordingly," she grumbled.

Dawn frowned. "That sucks. You mean you wouldn't even let me try?" she asked.

Lilia shrugged. "If you wanted to try you can, but don't expect anything to come of it. That's all," she shrugged.

Dawn smirked. "Alright. I'll ask and try my best to convince him."

"You aren't allowed to convince him with you're female assets, Dawn," Lilia smirked.

Dawn looked appalled, holding a hand to her chest. "Ouch! Are you calling me a harlot?" she laughed.

Lilia shrugged. "I didn't say it," she said.

Dawn laughed. "Oh god, I must say I do much more enjoy this side of you than the gloom and doom Lilia," she grinned.

Lilia felt a little better about that, but went back to her book, Dawn eventually slipping back into her snooze before their last exam.

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"Glad that's over," said Dawn as she followed Lilia out of the hall which had been transformed into a large examination room.

Lilia nodded. "Yea, I guess all we have to do now is go up to our rooms, pack, have dinner then wait for morning," she said glumly.

Dawn looked at Lilia worriedly, noticing she'd begun to act all doom and gloom again, but much more than usual. "Lilia, don't worry. I'll do my best to get your dad to let you come over for atleast a week or two during the summer break. Don't you think it'll be nice to see what life is like with a pure blood wizarding family?" she giggled.

Lilia glanced at her as they headed slowly back to the common room. "I suppose," she admitted. "Is it really that different? Wizarding life from muggle life? On an everyday basis I mean," she asked.

Dawn shrugged. "I wouldn't know. Both my parents are wizards so they use magic for a lot of things. I guess you'll just have to see won't you?" she smiled.

Lilia nodded.

When they reached the Slytherin common room, Lilia and Dawn proceeded up to the dormitory they shared, pulling out their trunks and getting out a change of clothes to wear tomorrow on the train ride back. When they had those clothes set aside, they proceeded to fill their trunks with their uniforms, books, and other items they would be taking home with them.

Dawn glanced up and frowned, grabbing Lilia's clothes which were all black, right down to her underwear. "Merlin's beard Lilia, you dress like you're headed to a funeral," she teased.

Lilia frowned, taking her clothes back. "I do not," she said and folded them up, stuffing them under her pillow for now.

Dawn giggled. "Stop being so grumpy. I already said you're coming with me for a little bit this summer. My parents won't be able to say no when I walk up to them with you," she grinned.

Lilia raised a brow. "You didn't ask?"

Dawn snorted. "I never do. See, I may act like a right trouble maker sometimes at school, but my parents know I never get myself into much mischief so they let me do pretty much whatever I want."

Lilia looked a little surprised at this, that sort of concept failing to make sense to her. "Lucky you," she said simply.

Dawn giggled. "I know right?" she smirked.

After they finished packing their things, Lilia sat on her bed and looked up at Dawn. "What now?" she asked.

Dawn shrugged and sat on her own bed, facing Lilia. "So… why is it you hate going home so much? I mean, don't you ever miss your family?" she asked.

Lilia shrugged. "My father, I could happily watch him suffer for millenia and never tire of it…" she said. "My mother… she's been dead for some time," she explained quickly.

Dawn looked at her silently. "Why do you hate your father so much?" she asked.

Lilia looked at Dawn. "I don't really wish to talk about it… I don't need a pity party going on for me," she said. "Besides, it's not comfortable talking about it," she said.

Dawn nodded, getting the hint. "But… does this mean your boyfriend, whoever he is, doesn't know either?" she asked.

Lilia almost had to laugh. "He knows… he sort of… found out on his own," she said.

Dawn looked at Lilia quietly and nodded. "I see… well, why don't you stay the summer then? I'm sure my parents wouldn't mind helping you out," she suggested.

Lilia shrugged. "If my father were to let me, which he won't, I would jump at the chance, Dawn."

Dawn frowned. "Well then, I guess I'll have to use everything I've got to convince him then, won't I?" she smirked, plopping down next to Lilia on her bed and looked at her. "So… if you DO come over for the summer, even if only for a little bit, will I get to meet your secret lover?" she grinned.

Lilia rolled her eyes. "No."

"Ohhh so he IS a secret lover," she grinned.

Lilia groaned. "No," she said. "We're… it's -"

"Complicated, I know I know," Dawn groaned, "You've told me the same thing enough times," she laughed, laying on her back and staring at the ceiling. "Can I atleast have a hint?" she asked.

Lilia raised a brow. "I've given you two already," she stated.

Dawn laughed. "Not very good ones! Those two hints could apply to anybody in the entire school," she smirked, sitting up. "Another one," she insisted.

Lilia could feel an amused smile forming on her lips but it turned into a sort of half smirk. "Fine," she sighed finally. "Me and him are in detention a LOT during the year," she said.

Dawn stared blankly at Lilia. "That's so not even fair!" she laughed, dragging Lilia down onto the bed with a laugh. "That still could be anyone" she grinned.

Lilia smirked, looking at her. "Well, you do seem to be forgetting to ask for very specific hints," she pointed out.

Dawn groaned. "Goodness gracious, Lilia. You're far too cruel with these things sometimes," she laughed.

Lilia almost had to smile at how genuine this moment of friendship was to her and how much she found herself treasuring it.

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"Alright, so the first thing we're going to do when we get to my parents home is go shopping," Dawn said. "You seriously need to get a new wardrobe," she said, looking at Lilia.

She looked at Dawn uncertainly. "I don't have any money," she said bluntly.

Dawn shrugged. "I'll pay for it," she said. "You can pay me back later," she said and leaned closer. "With your body," she purred seductively.

Lilia bristled and looked at Dawn uncomfortably.

Dawn laughed. "Oh goodness I'm joking, Lilia. Trust me, you're missing a few vital assets that I enjoy in a partner," she winked.

Lilia almost gagged.

Dawn laughed. "What? You're in a relationship now. Sooner or later you'll get to admiring what boys were graced with to satisfy our needs," she smirked.

Lilia felt herself blushing at the thought of having sex with Snape. It would never EVER happen, she knew. He was much older than she was! And her professor at that! She shook her head simply. "No way. Not ready for it," she said.

Dawn sniggered. "You're such a baby sometimes," she teased, poking Lilia in the side lightly and smirked.

Lilia stuck her tongue out in a futile attempt against Dawn which only made her laugh in amusement.

"You're so cute sometimes," she smirked.

Lilia shrugged, going back to her dinner. "So, what exactly do you plan to say to my father that will let me go over to your house for some time during the summer?" she asked.

Dawn shrugged. "I dunno. I never plan ahead. Plans always get messed up in the end. I just do things spontaneously," she nodded.

Lilia raised a brow. "Spontaneously… right… I'm doomed then," she said.

Dawn cracked up. "Oh hush, I'll think of something," she smiled reassuringly at Lilia.

She looked at her friend and then nodded, submitting to the thought that she really didn't have much to hope for.

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After dinner, Lilia headed down to the potions classroom, making her way through the dungeon hall quietly. She'd excused herself early from dinner, saying she really needed to get some air, which Dawn had nodded and let her go to. In actuality, she wanted to see Snape one more time before she left in the morning for home.

Knocking softly on the door to the potions classroom, she opened the door and stepped inside, finding it empty.

Her heart fell slightly. Instead of turning and going back to the common room, she went inside and looked quietly at the many different bottles upon the shelves, walking slowly through the classroom.

When she reached his desk, she noticed it was completely clean for once and she felt disappointed, figuring he wouldn't be coming back. He'd probably already packed everything up and gone to sleep for the night, wanting to leave early in the morning for his own home, wherever that was.

Lilia wondered what sort of house he had. She wondered where all the teachers lived during the summer. The thought felt so odd to her, the teachers having a summer break and doing their own things during those two months off in their own homes, somewhere away from the school.

She glanced up, distracted from her thoughts at the sound of footsteps.

Snape came in through one of the other doors and frowned, seeing Lilia. "Miss. Gunner?" he questioned, raising a brow.

She stood quietly by his desk, subconsciously touching the edge of it with her fingers. "I wanted to say goodbye before I left in the morning for home," she said.

Snape nodded. "Right…" he said and walked over to his desk, opening one of the drawers and pulled out a few sheaf's of paper, then got a few stray bottles of ink out, holding them in his arm.

She watched him gather his things and looked up at him. "I might be getting to stay with Dawn this summer," she said.

He glanced at her and frowned. "How so?" he asked.

She shrugged. "She invited me, saying she would ask my father. If he says yes I might get to stay the entire summer," she shrugged.

He nodded. "Well, I suppose that will be a more healthy environment for you to live in," he said calmly.

She nodded.

"Why didn't you go last summer?" he asked.

She looked up at him. "I didn't know anyone well enough to simply ask if I could go," she said. "This year she's the only other student I've really talked to, so I suppose I can consider her a friend now.

He nodded. "Well, then I guess you'll have to see, won't you?"

She nodded. Swallowing, she watched as he moved to put the stack of papers and ink bottles aside and then crossed his arms, looking at her. She stared back up at him and then looked away, feeling a bit unnerved by his intensely scrutinizing gaze. "Is something wrong, professor?" she asked.

He narrowed his eyes. "You said you came here to say goodbye. You haven't said it yet," he said.

She looked at him and then nodded. "Oh… right… goodbye then," she said and took a step back, moving to head back towards the door when she felt his hand grab her wrist and tug her back, gently enough so she could do it willingly.

She felt his lips press against hers and she helplessly felt herself go weak, closing her eyes as he kissed her so fiercely she feared he might not stop. When he did, she looked up at him sadly and then smiled weakly. "Heh… that was a better goodbye than I had planned," she admitted.

Snape smirked and let go of her gently, standing up straight. "Well, then I wish you sufficient luck in staying with Miss. Pyrites this summer," he said calmly, gathering his things and moved to walk to the door.

She nodded and followed him to it, stepping out, then glanced back at him as he headed down the hall the other way without a word to her again.

She smiled faintly to herself, biting her lower kiss swollen lip, turning away and swallowed, headed quickly back to the common room so she could get some sleep before morning.

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Boarding the train was a rather dreary chore. Lilia followed Dawn to one of the still available cabins, sitting down in it with her and sighed. "So you're sure it will be alright for me to come over?" she asked, still doubting her father would even let her.

"Of course," Dawn chuckled. "Why wouldn't it? You're not totally insane. You seem polite enough when you need to be, and you rarely ever get in trouble except for being late occasionally," she said and smirked. "I think for the most part my parents will take to you rather nicely," she nodded.

Lilia sighed, nodding and turned to look out the window.

After everyone was boarded, she felt the train lurch slightly and begin to move, leaving Hogwarts station.

Watching the scenery pass by while Dawn took yet another nap, she felt herself thinking how badly she really did want to spend the summer away with Dawn. It would be weird for sure, but she would much rather spend summer with the Pyrites family than at home with her father. She didn't know if she could survive another summer there without completely losing her mind after the splendid year she'd had at Hogwarts this year. She only hoped somehow her father would have some shred of humanity in him and let her at least visit Dawn for a little while, doubting he would let her go the entire summer when they arrived at the station a few hours away still.

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(( Wootness! Chapter 24 :D I hope you all liked it ^w^ Please review! :D I'll have chapter 25 up tomorrow as promised ^w^ You'll all just have to wait and see how things go for Lilia and Dawn, haha ;P Please review and lemme know what you all thought J ))


	25. Pyrites

(( Yay J Chapter 25! How thrilling w And still going strong with the daily updates! *fist pump* xDD I am absolutely ecstatic with the reviews I've gotten last night especially :D They're super long and they make me grin from ear to ear like an idiot cause people are literally enjoying the story so much they are reading it all in one sitting till the wee hours of the morning! Omigod! XD *tears up* thank you SO much everybody! Lol Makes me feel accomplished as a fan fiction…ette… _ *proud stance!* xD Haha, I hope you guys are enjoying the story thus far J I know I am ;) But then again, I DO know what will happen and when xDD No spoiling surprises though :P You all must wait and see how things play out ;) Haha, anywho! Here we are :D

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the affiliated works… If I did, I can guarantee you I would be boasting daily on how I own Severus Snape xD ))

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"I really don't think this is such a good idea," Lilia said, glancing at Dawn who walked alongside her at the station where they'd just arrived.

Dawn grinned. "Oh hush up, Lilia. You worry far too much about these things," she said, looking for the appropriate exit wall. When she found it, she waved to Lilia and with a smile ran through, disappearing and obviously reappearing on the other side in London's station where Lilia for the moment, couldn't see to.

Lilia took a deep breath and ran towards the wall, easily slipping through and was relieved to see Dawn standing there, perfectly alright. Why wouldn't she be? Lilia had never ever felt so nervous before.

The two made their way through the bustling crowds of London travellers on their way to the next train they needed. Lilia for a moment was sorely tempted to just run and hide away when she saw her father standing and waiting for her. She swallowed and glanced at Dawn who was still looking curiously around, clearly having no idea who Lilia's father was.

"Have you spotted him yet?" she asked, looking around still, then looked at Lilia. She paused, seeing the uncomfortable expression on her face, then turned and looked to follow her line of sight, her eyes falling on the man who looked nothing like Lilia from this distance as far as Dawn could tell, except for their very pale skin; which just about everyone in London had. "Is that him there?" she asked, pointing.

Lilia nodded. "Yea… that's my father," she said.

Dawn nodded, glancing over at the tall man. "Hmm… very dashing really," she said suddenly.

Lilia blinked, and was beyond prepared to slug Dawn to the floor for saying such a revolting comment about her father who was a pig in a man's guise. She took a deep breath and glowered at Dawn, her expression clearly showing to the crimson haired girl she'd stepped way out of line with that comment.

Dawn giggled. "Alright, alright. I won't do that again," she smirked, pushing her trolley towards him. "Come on then!" she called back.

Lilia took a moment and steeled herself, then followed.

When the two young teenagers approached the tall light brown haired man, he flashed a dazzling smile at Dawn. "And who is this fair lady?" he asked in a charming tone.

Lilia narrowed her eyes icily at him. "This is my friend, Dawn Pyrites," she said. "She has invited me over for the summer. If it were alright with you, can I go?" she asked.

Alex frowned, looking at Lilia. "And why should I let you go? I've missed you sorely," he said. "Besides, don't you miss daddy at all?" he asked.

Dawn glanced at Lilia.

Lilia glared. "Oh, terribly of course," she said bitterly. "However, I would like to atleast stay with Dawn this summer if it were alright. It will be interesting for me to see what it's like to live in a wizarding household," she added.

That seemed to be the right thing to say, Alex raising a brow and looking at Dawn. "So you're a pureblood witch?" he asked her.

Dawn nodded proudly. "Indeed I am, sir," she said. "My parents are both pure blood all the way through as well, so I figured since Lilia here is a muggle born witch, it would be nice for her to come spend the summer with my family to get a new… outlook on life," she smiled radiantly.

Alex smirked, looking at Lilia. "You promise to be a good little girl when you come back, right?" he asked.

Lilia looked shocked and swallowed, nodding stiffly. "Yes, I promise," she blurted.

He smirked. "Fine. But not the entire summer," he said. "You see, I've made so many plans for us both," he chuckled. "Will a week be enough?" he asked.

Lilia glared.

Dawn looked at Lilia and then up at her friend's father. "Perhaps two?" she suggested. "That will leave you with six whole weeks," she pointed out. "Plus, I think after only a week, Lilia will want to stay a little longer," she said. "Please?" she asked, batting her eyelashes at Alex.

Alex smirked, clearly enjoying Dawn as conversation and then sighed. "Alright fine. Two weeks," he chuckled, putting an arm around Lilia's shoulders.

Her skin crawled with the feeling and she felt a nasty shudder travel up her spine.

"But only two," Alex stated firmly. "I missed Lilia so very much over the summer," he grinned, rubbing her arm affectionately, then stepped away. "Alright. So I'll pick you up here in two weeks?" he asked.

Lilia nodded stiffly. "Yes…"

Dawn smiled. "I think around 9 pm will be good," she said. "That way Lilia will have time to eat dinner with us one more time," she said.

Alex smirked and nodded. "Alright. Two weeks from now at nine pm," he agreed to, flashing a smile at Dawn then a smirk at Lilia. "I can't wait to bring you home again, love," he said.

Lilia nearly wretched onto the floor right there. She stiffly turned her trolley around with Dawn and followed her to the other side of the station, not once glancing back at her father who she could feel was still watching her as she left.

"See? That wasn't so bad. You have two weeks to bum around at my house," Dawn said with a grin. "It'll be loads of fun, I guarantee it," she said. She glanced at Lilia and then frowned. "Is something wrong, Lilia?" she asked, stopping and putting a hand on Lilia's arm.

Lilia shrugged. "I'm fine… just feeling a bit off right now, sorry," she said quickly.

Dawn nodded. "Home sick. I know the feeling even if it doesn't seem like it most of the time," she giggled.

Lilia nodded, figuring that was the best excuse to go with. She actually felt horribly sick after having seen her father again and been so close to danger once more. But she felt even more sick, wondering why on earth he had let her go for two entire weeks on her own. It was just way too bizarre for her to understand.

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"This isn't the way home, mom," Dawn whined, looking at her in confusion as her mother drove the vehicle they used to bypass the muggle infested cities.

"We're going out to the summer house this year," she said with a radiant smile. Lilia could see where Dawn had inherited that trait right away. "I think your friend here will enjoy it very much," she said cheerfully, looking into the rear view mirror. "There's a lake at the back that you can swim in, dear," she said and smiled. "Plus, there are several extra rooms so you and Dawn won't have to cramped into one room for the two weeks you'll be staying with us," she giggled.

Lilia nodded, looking at Dawn uncertainly, and then looked down.

Dawn grinned. "She's shy, mum. Don't worry, she'll warm up to us eventually," she said.

Tamora, which Lilia had learned was Dawn's mothers name smiled. "No problem!"

As they drove out into the countryside, Lilia watched out the window silently while Dawn pulled out an mp3. Lilia looked at it and raised a brow.

Dawn smirked, "My dad got it for me about a year ago as a birthday present. Ingenious muggle invention if you ask me. Taking music with you anywhere you go. Except Hogwarts of course," she rolled her eyes and shook her head as she turned it on. "These things don't seem to work there at all," she pouted.

Lilia nodded, turning to look out the window again to take her mind off things and distract herself with this entirely new scenery.

When she felt the car slow and begin to turn, she looked out the front window at an immense home build out in the country with a view of the lake peeking out from behind. "Oh my god, Dawn. You didn't tell me you were loaded," she gaped.

Dawn shrugged, smirking. "You never asked. Besides, us Pyrites aren't as dreadful as the Malfoys," she nodded. "We don't feel the need to flash our money around."

Lilia was dumbfounded and suddenly quite humbled by Dawn's presence. She was actually somewhat honoured to be granted the privilege of staying in such a nice house for even a day let alone two weeks. She reached up to touch her hair, hoping she looked at least clean enough.

Dawn laughed, noticing this and nudged Lilia. "Relax, this is vacation time for you," she smirked. "By the way, you've got a beetle in your hair," she said, reaching up as Lilia looked a little panic, then brought her fingers to her lips, pretending to eat a bug like an animal.

Lilia glowered at her, making Dawn laugh. "Oh come on, let's go in, my dad and brother should be home soon from the Ministry," she chuckled, motioning with her head for Lilia to follow while they brought their trunks to the door.

"Dawn!" came a shout from the door suddenly and both Dawn and Lilia looked up in alarm.

And then Dawn screamed and grinned, dropping her trunk rather gracelessly to the ground and ran up the front stairs into the arms of a rather well build fellow. He had crimson wavy hair like Dawn, and the same slightly olive undertone to his skin. Dawn's father.

He laughed and picked her up, turning with her and then set her down. "And how is y little angel doing?" he asked, grinning in a charming way from ear to ear.

Lilia stood awkwardly a few meters away, looking at this father daughter relationship she had never ever had in her life.

Dawn smirked. "Better than ever. I've brought a friend with me to stay for two weeks and you can't do anything to stop me," she nodded. "Mom already said yes," she grinned, crossing her arms with a matter-of-fact smirk.

"Oh well if your mom said yes I suppose I really can't do nothing can I?" he sighed dramatically, and then grabbed her, alarming Lilia for a moment. "I can punish you though for sneaking behind my back!" he exclaimed, suddenly assaulting her sides with his fingers, Dawn screaming and struggling to get away from his tickles.

"Oh my god dad! Stop embarrassing me!" she laughed.

Lilia relaxed visibly and had to smile a little at this scene as Dawn grinned and batted his hands away.

Dawn smirked, then skipped over to Lilia. "Sorry about that. He can be such a child sometimes," she shook her head.

Lilia almost laughed, seeing exactly where Dawn had inherited her demeanour and attitude from.

When they brought their things inside, Dawn made sure she and Lilia had rooms exactly side by side. Dawn went into the room she was going to take and began throwing things out into the hall which were clearly not her own.

Lilia chose not to question Dawn's cleaning habits that afternoon while she went into her own room and unpacked, looking in awe at the room itself. It was so clean, decorated tastefully by a woman no doubt. It just had that feminine touch, but Lilia couldn't tell if it was the work of Dawn or Tamora.

Once she finished unpacking, she went to Dawn's room, finding there was no one there. She glanced down the hall, hearing a few voices and went downstairs, stepping into the kitchen area where there was a bit of a ruckus. To Lilia it looked like everyone was trying to stop Tamora from cooking something.

"Mom! I do not need my friend to die of poisoning her first day here. Seriously, just use magic. She would be so amazed by it. Honest," the crimson head bobbed up and down in a nod.

Dawn's father chuckled. "Come on Tamora, you really should just use magic," he insisted.

"Are you insinuating that my muggle cooking is bad, Declan?" Tamora asked, raising a brow, crossing her arms and thrusting her hip out questioningly.

Declan looked at his wife for a moment and then grinned. "No, not at all, I'm just saying how… you've still got a bit more to learn. I personally think your cooking is fantastic no matter what, but I think our guest deserves more than a tossed salad and some boiled chicken," he pointed out. "By the way, Dawn, why are you here and your friends still upstairs. Shouldn't you have waited for her?" he reprimanded with a grin.

"She's not an animal. She can find her way down the hall and to the kitchen on her own I'm sure, dad," Dawn said and stuck her tongue out while she reached for an apple.

"Don't! You'll spoil your appetite," Tamora said, swatting Dawn's hand with the flat side of the knife she was holding.

Lilia almost giggled at the sweet look of the family bickering over her meal. She knocked on the doorframe and looked as they all turned to look at her.

Dawn grinned. "Lilia, please explain to my mother you would love to eat a real wizard's meal," she said, putting her hands on her hips, jutting her hip out in the same stance as her mother had taken with her father. Lilia wondered if Dawn got every bit of her attitude from just her father after all.

"Uh, well I've never seen a meal prepared by a wizard so that would be interesting," she agreed.

"See? Do it!" Dawn cheered, Tamora sighing and then grinning at Lilia as she put away the knife she was holding and pulled out her wand instead, magicing the kitchen into life so that all the food would get prepared on its own.

"So, Lilia," Declan smiled warmly as he took a seat at the table, "How can you possibly stand putting up with my rambunctious little girl day in and day out?" he chuckled.

"Dad!" Dawn exclaimed, shooting him a playful look.

He grinned.

"How can anyone stand Dawn for more than two seconds is my question?" came a male voice from behind Lilia.

She jumped and looked up behind her to see a rather dashing looking man, early twenties Lilia would say, with the same crimson waves as Dawn and her father, and his father's grin.

"Felix," he introduced himself, holding a hand out to Lilia. "Dawn is my unfortunate curse of a little sister," he smirked.

Dawn stuck her tongue out at him. "Yea well… you're rude," she shot back lamely.

Felix chuckled.

Lilia timidly shook his hand, then stepped once back from him. "Hello," she said.

He smiled at her. "And what's your name?" he asked.

"Lilia," she answered.

He smiled. "That's a nice name for a nice girl," he said, steping into the kitchen and reached for an apple from the bowl of fruit.

"Don't eat that! You'll spoil your dinner!" Dawn exclaimed, batting his hand away quickly.

He huffed. "I'm hungry!"

"Good, then you'll eat more at dinner," Tamora said, stepping back into the kitchen from wherever she had disappeared to for a few moments.

Dawn grinned cheekily up at Felix who pretend thumped her on the head with his fist.

"If you're going to fight, take it outside," Declan said calmly, standing from the table to embrace his wife from behind, to which she smiled warmly and turned to face him.

"Eww! Mom, dad! Don't make us vomit before dinner," Dawn complained.

"And you say I'm rude," Felix snorted.

"A snort isn't rude?" Dawn asked mockingly.

"You snort all the time!" he said with a laugh.

Dawn grinned, walking over to Lilia and took her hand. "Come on, let me show you around while my parents have some privacy which apparently they don't get enough of while I'm away at school," she smirked, leading Lilia into another area of the house.

The house itself was very large. It also didn't help to boost Lilia's self esteem of her own situation when Dawn mentioned it was small in comparison to their actual house. Though she supposed Dawn wasn't accustomed to living the way most people did.

When Dawn finished showing her around in the house, including where all the bathrooms were - to kill time she said - they both went outside and Lilia's breath was stolen for a moment at the sight of the large yard with the lake right at the end of it.

"Oh my god, Dawn… how can you not want to live here all the time?" she asked her.

Dawn shrugged. "I suppose it's one of those things. You don't really appreciate what you have, but you always want what you can't have," she grinned. "I dunno, I would guess it's that way at least."

Lilia smirked, turning when she heard Tamora calling them back inside after they had spent some time walking along the shore.

When they went back inside, Felix grinned, taking a seat next to Lilia while Dawn sat on the other side.

"So, how is it that someone as normal as you actually wants to be friends with my little sister?" Felix asked as the plates were filled with food.

Lilia glanced at him. "I suppose she's less annoying than most people," she said bluntly.

Dawn grinned. "Haha, Lilia called Felix annoying," she boasted cheerfully.

Lilia blinked. "I mean! No, that's not what I meant for it to sound like," she said.

Declan laughed, while Tamora giggled, sipping some wine daintily from her glass.

Dawn sneered at Felix. "That's what happens when you try so lamely to put the moves on my friends," she said.

Felix shrugged. "I don't know what your talking about," he said.

Dawn cackled. "Mary-emma will be so angry to know you're flirting with other girls. Imagine what she would say!"

Felix rolled his eyes. "She wouldn't believe a brat like you," he said.

Lilia looked at Dawn curiously.

Dawn grinned. "Mary-emma is Felix's fiancee. She's a nice girl, but not used to our… ways…" she said, gesturing her arm out at the family now seated at the table.

"Oh she's used to our ways, just not used to Dawn," Tamora grinned, making Declan and Felix laugh in amusement at the mock pout on Dawn's face.

Lilia smiled a little, looking around as the family went on to bicker playfully and talk about things, Dawn eventually talking about the year she'd had at Hogwarts, Lilia occasionally offering her opinion when asked, but otherwise letting Dawn speak for them both.

She felt the next two weeks would probably be some of the best weeks of her entire life while she spent them with Dawn and her family. They might be a bit loud and over the top at first glance… but they were the family Lilia never had, and so she envied and cherished them all.

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(( Wootness! Chapter 25 :D aren't you all happy to see Lilia's got two weeks of freedom now? I am! :D She deserves it ;) lol, don't worry :P More to come from this obviously xDDD I find myself really enjoying the idea of Dawn at home so I couldn't resist the opportunity of incorporating her family into the story a little more :D And you'll eventually understand why Alex let Lilia go to their place for two weeks xD it's not like a HUGE deal, but if you don't know then you will eventually J Anywho! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review and lemme know what you think of the Pyrites family :D I love hearing from you all ^w^ ))


	26. The Floo Network

(( I'm really happy to know that people were unnerved by Alex Gunner's "nice" attitude towards Lilia ;) It's good to know my readers realize he's obviously got something up his sleeve :P And nit something nice either _ shame shame… ANYWHOOOO I'm also really glad you all appreciate the balance of happiness Dawn's family brings into Lilia's troubled and melancholy life *nod nod* J I'm really glad you all like it, AND I'm SOOOO happy to know I've already had two people sit down and read my story in one go cause they thought it was so good! I don't think I can possibly get a better review :D I was so thrilled to know that! Haha :D Anywho :P Here is chapter 26! I hope you enjoy it ^^

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the related works L If I did, I wouldn't be sobbing everyday over how I do not own Severus Snape TT_TT How disappointing to wake up to the fact every morning… LOL jk :P My imagination couldn't come up with such a spectacular character on its own xD ))

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"Cimbeline wrote!" Declan called out into the household that following morning.

In a moment, a flash of crimson waves darted through the kitchen and danced around the table. "A letter!" Dawn cried out and grinned.

"Ew, did you brush your teeth this morning?" Felix asked, waving his hand in front of his nose with a sour expression.

Dawn rolled her eyes. "I so did," she said.

"Well your breath smells terrible," Felix smirked.

Dawn pranced over and breathed heartily into Felix's face, making him laugh.

Lilia stepped into the kitchen a few moments after, having walked instead of run like Dawn did down the stairs for breakfast.

It had been a day only, and already Lilia felt she had enough views on a real family to last her a lifetime. She felt so incredibly… good, with the Pyrites.

"I think Dawn should cook breakfast for us all this morning," Felix said, leaning back in his chair and smirked at his little sister.

She batted her eyelashes back at him with a charming smile. "Really? Are you sure about that? You aren't concerned I'll drop some poison into your breakfast?" she said sweetly.

Felix grinned. "Yea, alright. I think someone else should cook. I don't trust Dawn with my food," he laughed.

Lilia smiled faintly and sat down at one of the empty seats at the table while Dawn slid into the chair next to her, reading the letter.

"Ohhhh, it seems out dear Cimby has gotten herself a boyfriend where she lives too," Dawn grinned. "Honestly, I would have thought I would get one before any of you," she laughed turning to Lilia with a smirk.

"Merlin's beard. I pity the poor chap who's going to get stuck with you, Dawn," Felix smirked, standing up from his seat to get something to eat.

Tamora came into the kitchen in a silky black house robe, her fine mousy brown hair tied up into a loose bun that morning. "Be nice, Felix. I was surprised someone like Mary-Emma could even put up with you," she giggled.

Felix brought a hand to his chest and sighed. "You hurt me mum, really," he chuckled, giving her a kiss on the cheek and picked up an apple. "You ready for work yet, dad?" he asked, looking at Declan expectantly.

Declan nodded, just finishing his breakfast up and then stood.

Tamora shook her head and smiled, waving her wand to bring his dirty dishes to the sink so they could wash themselves. "Have a good day at work, dear," she said, kissing Declan quickly on the lips while he pulled on a light jacket, going into the living room.

Lilia raised a brow and looked over at the two as they went to the fireplace. She watched as Felix grabbed some powder, stepped into the fireplace and disappeared. Soon after, Declan did the same thing, disappearing in a similar green burst of flame.

"Uh… Dawn? What just happened?" she asked, tugging on her friends arm, pointing as her father disappeared in another green burst of flame.

Dawn looked at the fire mantle, then at Lilia. "You've never heard of Floo powder?" she asked, looking at Lilia with a slight frown.

Lilia looked at Dawn in confusion. "Floo powder? What the devil is Floo powder?" she asked, looking at the already dying little fire in the mantle.

Dawn stared blankly at Lilia and then laughed, turning into the kitchen. "Mum! Lilia's never used Floo powder before. Can I take her through the fireplace later and show her?" she asked.

"Not on your own. You're still only fourteen," she reprimanded.

"Only for another few days," she clarified.

Lilia looked up at Dawn. "Your birthday is in a few days?" she asked.

Dawn grinned and nodded. "Yea. I turn fifteen. Only two more years then I can use magic whenever I want to," she grinned, clearly eager for this opportunity.

Lilia nodded. "Oh," she said.

Tamora brought two plates of breakfast to the table and sat down on the other side, looking at Lilia. "Something wrong, dear?" she asked.

"I don't have any money to buy Dawn and birthday present," she said, unsure of what Dawn would even like for her birthday.

"I know what you can give me for my birthday," Dawn grinned mischievously.

Lilia raised a brow. "What?" she asked.

"A name. Specifically, the name of this secret boyfriend you refuse to tell me anything about," she laughed.

Lilia rolled her eyes. "Okay, anything BUT that," she said.

Tamora chuckled at her daughters disappointed expression.

"Oh, right," Dawn said and turned to lok at Lilia as she ate her breakfast. "Floo powder. It's what a lot of wizards use to travel," she explained. "Rather than use a slow car or ride on a broomstick for so long it gets stuck up our ass," she said, interrupted by someone clearing their throat and a look from her mother to watch her language, "It's more convenient and way faster," she said with a grin. "Dad and Felix always use it to get to work on time, and sometimes me and mum use it to go other places during the summer or when I come home for the Christmas holidays," she said.

Lilia nodded. "So… it doesn't burn you, does it?" she asked.

Tamora giggled and shook her head. 'No, dear. It's perfectly harmless if you enunciate properly," she assured her.

Lilia looked at her and blinked. "And what happens if I don't?" she asked.

"You die," Dawn said flatly.

Lilia looked at Dawn with slight shock in her widened eyes.

Tamora looked at Dawn and frowned.

"Joking!" she laughed, grinning at Lilia. "You don't get hurt by it. You just might get lost in the Floo Network itself. In other words, you may end up somewhere else if you don't clearly say where you want to go," she shrugged. "But don't worry. Usually you don't go too far anyways if you stray off the original path," she chuckled.

Lilia frowned. "So, I just have to speak clearly and the flames do the rest of the work?" she asked.

Tamora nodded. "Essentially, yes," she said. "Don't worry though, this afternoon how about we all go out for lunch, then spend the day showing you around the wizarding community?" she suggested.

Dawn nodded. "She needs to see how us wizards live," she agreed.

Lilia shrugged and then nodded. "I suppose that sounds nice. I would love to come along," she said.

Tamora beamed. 'Then it's settled then. A luncheon out and then some shopping. Just us women," she grinned.

Dawn laughed, shaking her head at her mother's eager attitude.

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"So, how was it?" Dawn asked as she, Lilia and her mother, Tamora stepped out of the fire place and out of the small shop into the main square of Godric's Hollow.

"Uh… weird. Definitely weird," she nodded, glancing at Dawn as they walked down the streets amongst muggles and wizards. "So where are we going first?" she asked.

Dawn beamed. "We're going to the pub just a little ways from here to get something to eat, and then we'll start shopping in the little stores here. As much as I hate Gryffindors and the fact that this place is named after Godric, the stores here have some of the cutest clothes I could ever dream of," she admitted reluctantly.

Tamora chuckled. "Hush, just enjoy the trip," she said, walking with them into a quaint little pub, asking for something to eat, then taking their little bits of food out to the street, walking and eating at the same time.

"So, what sort of clothes do you plan on wearing for the summer?" Dawn asked Lilia, looking at her as she finished off her food quickly.

Lilia thought about it and shrugged. "I… I never really paid attention to what I like. I just wore whatever was there," she said honestly.

Dawn frowned. "Well, that would explain your dreadful sense of style," she admitted.

Tamora frowned, whacking Dawn upside the head. "Dawn! Manners," she said.

Dawn rubbed the back of her head and grinned. "Sorry, I don't think before I speak obviously," she said.

Lilia shook her head. "It's fine. Now that I think about it, I suppose the clothes I wear ARE dreadful," she nodded.

"Aha! See!" Dawn said, pointing at Lilia. "She agrees," she told her mother.

"You still need to mind your manners young lady," Tamora said.

Dawn sighed and shrugged, giving in and agreeing to that too.

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"It looks good," Lilia nodded, looking up at Dawn on the stepping stool as she posed in her new summer dress which was fashioned from the finest white silk with fine black lace detailing. "It really suits you," she said.

Dawn spun around in it and looked in the mirror. "You think so?" she asked.

Lilia nodded.

Tamora nodded as well, walking over and inspecting it for any fraying edges or messed up stitching. "It seems to be in very good shape as well," she said, looking at the price tag which made Lilia's jaw drop the first time she saw it, leading to her deciding to sit this store out. "You want it?" she asked.

Dawn nodded. "Yes. I love it," she said, hopping down and then grinned at Lilia. "Now your turn," she said.

Lilia looked up at her wide eyed and then shook her head. "Oh no. I couldn't possibly afford any of these dresses," she said, raising her hand to finish before Dawn cut in. "Even if you pay for it now I don't know if I could ever pay you back anytime soon," she said honestly.

Dawn huffed and crossed her arms. "Let me buy one for you then," she said. "I want you to get some new clothes and trust me, I have enough money to buy you a few nice pieces," she insisted.

Lilia sighed. "But…"

"No buts," she said and walked over, tugging Lilia's gently, making her stand and brought her to a rack of nice dresses. "Pick something and DON'T look at the price tags for the cheapest one," she said.

Lilia looked at Dawn wearily and then sighed, looking at the rack and began looking, Dawn smiling from ear to ear as Lilia did so.

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"You have to get it," Dawn said, looking at the adorable little dress Lilia had picked out. It was a soft fabric in a deep blue, almost black, with thin straps over the shoulders, straight cut top and then tiny sweet buttons all the way down the front, ending just above Lilia's knees along with the dress. "It suits you so well!" she said, "Please let me buy it for you," she insisted.

Lilia looked in the mirror and sighed, feeling like this was some bizarre dream to actually be getting a new dress especially to wear when she wanted to. "Are you sure?" she asked uncertainly.

Tamora smiled. "You should," she nodded. "Besides, this boy you're going out with, I'm sure he would love to see you in a dress," she nodded.

"I think you would have a hard time keeping him off you if you wore that in front of him," Dawn commented.

Tamora rolled her eyes at her daughters sexual thoughts.

Lilia almost smiled at Dawn's comment, wondering how Snape would react if he ever saw her in a sweet little summer dress. The thought sent goose bumps up her arms and she rubbed them away, then looked over at Dawn and Tamora. "I really do like it," she admitted and smiled a little.

Dawn smirked. "It's settled then, I'm buying you this dress," she said.

Tamora shook her head. "Then I want to buy you something too," she told Lilia. "It wouldn't be fair to buy you just this dress and nothing else," she admitted.

Lilia felt a little overwhelmed as she was taken out of the dress, put into her clothes and searched for more clothing in the store as well as others, forgetting for that day or at least those few hours about how horrid it would be to have to go back home.

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Dawn and Lilia stumbled out of the fireplace back into the house, Dawn laughing in delight as she twirled, her multiple bags in hand, while Lilia had to smile at her friend.

"Did you have fun?" Dawn asked Lilia, setting her bags down by the chair.

Lilia smiled a little more and nodded. "Thank you for the things you and your mom bought for me," she said. She looked down at her three bags, not filled with much, but with such nice new pieces Lilia felt like the richest girl in the world for the time being. She couldn't wait to wear the clothing she'd gotten that day.

Tamora stepped through the fireplace a moment later and smiled, putting out the fire. "Anyone hungry?" she asked.

Lilia nodded along with Dawn.

She smiled and nodded, headed into the kitchen to prepare dinner, when Lilia gasped and stopped her. "Let me do it," she said.

Tamora looked surprised at this.

"I mean, it's really the least I can do for you all letting me stay here a while and buying me so much today," she nodded, feeling really awkward doing something willingly for someone else' but she felt she had to. The Pyrites were such incredible people in her opinion, and they'd given her so much already in the last two days that literally cooking dinner for the family really was the least Lilia could do for them.

Tamora smiled then, seeing what Lilia meant by it and patted her head, the small motherly gesture nearly bringing tears to Lilia's eyes. "Alright, dear," she said and smiled. "After all, I am curious how muggle food does taste, prepared by someone who know how to do it properly," she sighed, Dawn giggling at that.

When Tamora smiled and stepped away, Dawn came up and stood beside Lilia, watching her mother go up the stairs to change into more comfortable clothes. She then smiled in a relaxed way and looked at Lilia. "You know, you're more than welcome to come here again if you want to," she said.

Lilia looked at Dawn quietly and then smiled back weakly. "If I ever can, I look forward to it," she nodded.

Dawn grinned and hugged Lilia tightly then, laughing when she pulled away and saw the uncertain look on Lilia's face. "Goodness, you can relax when someone hugs you," she assured her and laughed, taking her hand. "Come on, I want to watch how you make a muggle dinner," she said, brining Lilia to the pantry for food to pick from.

Lilia rolled her eyes but smiled a little as she was dragged into the store room by her friend, rather enjoying the day so far.

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(( Yay! ^^ Such an oddly happy and normal day for Lilia nee? J I wanted Lilia to experience for once that normalcy of just going out with a friend and shopping :D I thought it would be cute, to show how Unaccustomed she is to that sort of thing so I hope I got that feeling across well enough xD Anywho! Review and comment please :D I love hearing from you all! ^w^ ))


	27. Hints

(( ANOTHER al nighter fan? I feel so special *sniffles and wipes an emotional tear away* xD I'm SOOOOOO happy people are really enjoying the story so far :D I'm having lots of fun writing it ^^ Even if it's slow to build up at some points :P BUT we all know it'll be worth it ;) Don't we?

Also, just to throw this in. Yesterday I went out and bought like 70 dollars worth of HP stuff xD Cause I'm so in love with the series lol and I FINALLY have money to buy stuff :P So I bought myself the Sorcerer's Companion, the new and complete one, AND Harry Potter Film Wizardry ;) It…. Its amazing. Like holy gods, I don't think I'll ever find a film related book as awesome as this one :P It's full of SOOOO much stuff! I also got an HP poster too -w- Just… cause I had money left over and it was there xD

Lol ANYWHO! Here we goooo with Chapter 27! :D Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the affiliated works. If I did… well… I suppose HP wouldn't be what it is today in truth xDDDD ))

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"Okay, okay, so he's got black hair, wears lots of black, is in detention lots of the time, is a Slytherin and mostly keeps to himself," Dawn said, sitting in the shadow of a bush while Lilia scoured the sand for seashells along the lake's edge.

"Yup," she said calmly, picking up a bright white one.

"Arghh, this is so difficult! Especially with these extremely general hits you keep giving me," Dawn said, throwing herself onto her back and sighed.

Lilia smirked over at Dawn, tossing a ruined shell back into the dark water. "Somehow I think you secretly enjoy taking on difficult hints," she said. "I've told you if you really want to know ask for something specific and yet you never do," she said.

Dawn rolled her eyes, but then nodded, deciding Lilia was right in that sense. "Yes well, we all know Miss. Dawn Pyrites is a masochist when it comes to guessing who the secret lovers of my friends are," she laughed.

Lilia rolled her eyes and shook her head. "He isn't my lover, Dawn."

"Boyfriend."

"I don't know… like I said it's a bit complicated," she said.

Dawn frowned, sitting up. "But you said he confirmed that it's a relationship," she said.

"Yea, he did. But I still don't see him as a boyfriend and I somehow doubt he sees me as a girlfriend entirely. It's… a bit of a difficult situation," she said.

Dawn snorted. "Difficult shmifficult," she said.

"Shmifficult?" Lilia raised a brow. "Is that even a word?"

"It is now," Dawn said, hoisting herself up from the sand and then walked over, walking along the edge of the lake with Lilia, looking for bright neat seashells with her friend. "Alright. So how about you tell me how tall he is," she suggested.

Lilia frowned, not actually sure how tall Snape was. "I'm not entirely sure, but if I had to guess I would say maybe… 6 feet?" she said questioningly.

"Blimey!" Dawn gaped at Lilia. "That most certainly narrows it down then," she grinned, thinking. "Alright. Let me think…" she said, frowning as she thought of anyone she might know of who was in Slytherin, quiet, black haired and was six feet tall.

"Dinner!" Tamora called out from the kitchen, distracting Dawn from her thoughts.

"Rats,| she said, snapping her fingers and then looked up at Lilia. "Don't think I'll forget. I'll spend all dinner trying to figure it out," she smirked, walking with Lilia back up to the summer house.

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"Hmm… is it Betran Seaton?" she asked, laying on Lilia's bed while Lilia brushed her long black hair before bed.

"No," Lilia calmly replied.

"Modoc Smith?"

"What? No," Lilia shook her head, frowning at the thought of even talking to that self obsessed, pure blood praising snake of a wizard.

Dawn frowned, wondering who else she could suggest. "Hmm, is it Andrew Withey?" she asked.

Lilia didn't even know who that was, shaking her head with a frown.

Dawn groaned and buried her face under Lilia's pillow. "I'll never figure it out in the next two days," she said with a whine.

Lilia remembered she only had tomorrow and another day before she was to go back home. She felt sick in her stomach at the thought of what her father would do to her when she returned, her eyes losing their awareness for a moment as she rifted off for a moment.

Dawn peeked out from under the pillow and frowned, noticing this old state which Lilia drifted into sometimes. "Lilia? Why do you hate the idea of going home so much?" she asked.

Lilia glanced at Dawn and then looked back into the mirror at her reflection. "Because I hate it there," she said.

Dawn sat up and looked at her. "But why? It's home. How can you hate home?"

"Because even though I go to the same house my father owns and that I live in, it isn't home. Not really," she said quickly.

Dawn looked at Lilia quietly and narrowed her eyes. "What does your dad do to you that makes you hate going home so much?" she asked slowly.

Lilia stayed silent.

Dawn could see Lilia wasn't going to spill all the details so she moved to sit beside her on the little stool in front of the mirror and prodded her arm softly. "A hint…" she said quietly.

Lilia turned to look at Dawn quietly, unsure if she really wanted to give that hint to her friend. She didn't want to have Dawn pitying her or worrying over her when she left. She didn't want to feel like the poor baby in the group. She then sighed and reached up, pulling her hair up into a ponytail and revealed a scar peeking out from her hairline, traveling a little to the left, ending a few inches below where her hair ended on her neck.

Dawn looked at the scar and reached up, touching it softly, then sighed. "So this is why you acted all weird when he let you come here for two weeks…" Dawn sighed. Well… I suppose I now know what I'm giving myself when I turn seventeen," she said.

Lilia frowned, looking at her friend as she dropped her hair back down. "What?" she asked.

"I'll curse him for hurting you of course," she said. "The most delightful birthday present to me, Dawn Pyrites… the sounds of a scum muggle's cries of mercy," she giggled.

Lilia sighed. "Dawn, don't… I don't want anyone getting involved," she said.

Dawn frowned. "And why not? You don't deserve to be abused like that, Lilia."

"No, but I also don't think you deserve to worry about something that has nothing to do with you," she said bitterly.

Dawn glared at Lilia. "You may be surprised to hear this, but you're my friend, Lilia. I will help you even if you don't want me to," she said.

Lilia looked at her calmly. "I don't want you to. Please, Dawn. I want to end it myself. It's a promise I made to myself when my mother died. I want him to suffer for the things me and her went through because of him, and I do not want anyone else getting involved," she said insistently. "Promise me, as a friend, you will not do anything unless I ask you to," she said, frowning as she looked at Dawn.

Dawn looked at her and sighed. "Under one condition," she said.

Lilia shrugged. "It depends what condition that is," she said.

Dawn sighed. "I want you to introduce me to your boyfriend when we go back to school," she said.

Lilia sighed, just about to say no, but then figured what harm was there in saying yes and then conveniently forgetting. "Fine," she said finally.

Dawn grinned. "Yes!" she said and grinned up at Lilia. "Alright, fine. Be stupid and don't ask for help, BUT if you come to school in September covered in bruises again without having gotten back at him this summer I will hunt him down myself even if I have to tie you up and gag you just to get into your house to do it," she said firmly.

Lilia sighed. "Fine… but until then, no telling, and no acting on it. This is my fight and I will win it the way I planned to," she said.

Dawn sighed and nodded, giving in,rather shamefully tempted by the thought of finding out who Lilia was with.

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(( Okay! I know this is a short chapter but again, read the title xD It is focusing on HINTS, and yea, I know there wasn't a whole lot of them BUT I had a bit of a brain fart with this chapter, I won't lie. AND I've been working all day PLUSSSS I have so many ideas I wanna get out there into this story for you all to read :D SO tomorrow Chapter 28 will be up and you will all get to see the drama I have planned in store -w- mwahahahahaa :P Btw, who is SUPER excited for HP 7 Part 2? I am! (even though I don't get to see it until two or three weeks from now xD I get panic attacks in crowds _) ))


	28. Broken Wands and Broken Hearts

(( :D Yet another busy working day and ANOTHER chapter up for all my lovely readers who've been encouraging me non-stop through lovely reviews and comments :D I absolutely love hearing from you all ^w^ And so as promised, here is a drama filled Chapter 28 for you all to enjoy today while I catch some zzz's and prepare for another day of work and writing ahead of me :D As rough as it might be some days, I'm super ecstatic to know that you are all enjoying it so much J Here we go then! :D

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter or any affiliated works unfortunately L I'm merely borrowing Severus Snape for this fan fic (among other characters here and there) to create the pairing I WISH I was on the receiving end of ;) Mmmm lol ))

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"You're sure about this?" Dawn asked Lilia as she walked with her into the bustling train station.

Lilia nodded and pushed her trolley along, looking around for her father none too enthusiastically. "I'm sure. I already told you, I don't want help. I don't need anyone getting involved in this mess," she said, looking at Dawn then. "I don't want you to get dragged into the hell I've called home for so long," she smirked. "You don't deserve it," she said flatly.

Dawn looked at her friend and sighed. She was about to say something when she looked up over Lilia's shoulder and swallowed.

Lilia felt a chill up her spine and turned, looking up at none other than her father.

"Afternoon, dear," he smirked. "How was your stay at your friend's house?" he asked, putting a hand firmly on her shoulder, squeezing a little harder than necessary.

Lilia didn't dare wince and give him that satisfaction, instead looking at Dawn calmly. "It was fun. I was delighted to go and I hope to see her again soon," she said with an eerie calm.

Dawn looked at Lilia, then up at Alex, now seeing how fake his charming demeanour really seemed. She felt unsure if letting Lilia go was the right thing to do. But Lilia had made it clear she wanted her to stay out of it. And so she would honour her friends request and keep her nose out of it… for the time being.

He smirked. "Perhaps… we'll have to see if you behave like a good little girl, won't we?" he said lowly.

Lilia felt disgusted goose bumps surface along her arms beneath her light sweater. She swallowed and gritted her teeth, nodding stiffly.

"Say goodbye to your friend," Alex said.

Lilia narrowed her eyes slightly at Alex, and then looked at Dawn. "Goodbye Dawn. Tell your parents I had a lovely time and I can't wait to see you at school," she said.

Dawn nodded, smiling weakly, then stepped back, waving a little as Alex took firm hold of the trolley and guided Lilia and her things to the car he used most frequently to pick his daughter up from the station.

Lilia glanced over her shoulder to look for Dawn but didn't see her anywhere. It was precisely then when she felt bile threatening to rise in her throat.

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"Let go of me!" Lilia snarled, tearing her arm away from Alex's grasp as he shoved her through the doorway.

He smirked, tossing her bags to the side and approached his retreating daughter, grabbing her shirt when she tried to turn away and run, then grasped her hair and wrenched her head back, breathing into her ear. "Now now, sweetheart. That's no way to speak to your father," he smirked.

Lilia struggled against him, glaring furiously as he admired her for a moment, then relinquished her.

Lilia stumbled away from him and up the stairs to her room.

He smirked, watching her disappear up to her room right away, closing the door when she reached it. Of course, that wouldn't keep him out for long as he followed her up with a calm sense of ease.

Lilia moved to stand in the corner of her room, glaring at her father as he entered only moments after her, looking around.

"So, I've decided exactly what to do with you, love," he said, looking around, picking up an old bear she had in her room, tossing it to the side with disinterest.

Lilia felt anger flare up inside her as she snatched up the only present her mother had given her before she'd died, the one her father so carelessly tossed away like he did his own child.

"You see… now that you've begun to make friends, and learn more advanced spells… I've decided you will not be returning to that cursed school of yours," he said simply, turning to look at her with a sneer. "I think you've learned more than enough to satisfy me, dear," he said tauntingly. He then produced the wand he'd taken from Lilia and held it up. "And, seeing as you won't be needing this anymore to learn more spells… I suppose we can get rid of it," he said, holding each end in his hands, a wicked gleam in his eyes.

Lilia's eyes widened and she felt her hand loose its grip on her bear, it falling to the floor as she reached out what felt like with horrifying slowness. Only to hear the snap of wood splintering under the pressure of her father's grip.

It was far too quiet for Lilia's liking then.

Alex smirked, tossing the completely destroyed wand onto Lilia's bed, moving to leave the room without another word for the evening.

When the wand had been snapped completely in half, Lilia had felt like something inside her had broken as well. Hogwarts… magic… it was all gone now. She wasn't allowed to go back, and she knew her father would never let her go. Not ever. She was utterly trapped in this hell hole. Forever.

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"Repairo," Lilia whimpered for the thousandth time that night, lying on the floor, clutching the wand in her hands feebly trying to make the wooden splinters somehow stay put together. Nothing. No spell or incantation was working. There was nothing happening from the wand. Her father had completely utterly destroyed it along with any shred of hope Lilia had left in the world.

She felt her lower lip tremble and she could barely see anymore, her vision having long since blurred. She felt completely helpless and alone… and scared.

At least even though she had to spend two months here Lilia used to be able to look forward to a temporary escape to Hogwarts, but now she couldn't go back. Her father refused to let her go, and her wand had been broken beyond any sense of repair whatsoever.

So she cried.

Lilia shut her eyes tightly and let go of the broken wand, hugging herself tightly and curled up on the floor, whimpering and crying softly to herself. She hated and feared her father now more than ever. He'd literally destroyed any last happiness she had left to look forward to right before her eyes. All for what? She couldn't even come to any logical answer. He was just a monster outright.

She reached out and groped along the floor, finding that soft plush bear and pulled it close, wishing for just a moment that her mother could still be there somehow and help her get away from the life her father had created for her and himself. She knew it was impossible, but she wished it so badly at that moment it almost made her scream in agony, her heart aching for once for her mother… anyone, to help her.

"Mommy…" she sobbed heartbreakingly, burying her face helplessly into her bear, her shoulders slumped and shaking with each sob until she ended up crying herself to sleep that night for the first time in an extremely long, long time.

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Lilia whimpered, having lost track of what day exactly it was now since she'd come home. Maybe three, maybe four? She couldn't remember.

She crouched by the door, rocking back and forth on her heels, tears streaming down her face silently except for the occasional whimper. Her eyes were wide and unseeing, seeming to have lost it, the realization that she had nowhere to go finally having sunk in and hit her hard.

"I want to go. I want to go away…" she whimpered shakily. "I don't want to stay here anymore…" she whispered, her body shuddering softly as she kept back another wrack of sobs that threatened to explode from her. "I want to get away…" she whimpered, slumping against the door in defeat.

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"I hate you," she said quietly, seated at the foot of her bed, her father standing over her, his arms crossed.

"Well, what a shame. Fortunately for me, I really couldn't care less," Alex smirked, grabbing her roughly and tugged her up, bringing her out into the hall and then downstairs without much fuss. "You see, I've grown sick of you acting so ungrateful for everything I've done for you," he spat, shoving her into the kitchen seat he had for her, then sat down in the other chair and looked at her. "You see, all I've done ontop of giving you home and food and a place to sleep, is make you a much better witch. Haven't I?" he smirked.

Lilia looked at him blankly, her eyes completely devoid of emotion.

He smirked, looking at her and reached out, touching a lock of her messy unwashed hair. "You see, all I've done is test you to your fullest capabilities, and you've only pushed beyond those expectations… haven't you?" he asked her.

She looked away silently, staring ahead, not wanting her food for the third night in a row out of the almost full two weeks since she'd come home. "You've ruined everything…" she whispered hoarsely.

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Excuse me?"

"It's no wonder mom died out…" she said flatly. "I wish I had known how to do the same thing…" she whispered.

He glared, standing up furiously. "Shut your mouth you piece of scum and eat your dinner or I'll send you to bed without again," he snarled viciously.

She slowly turned to look up at him and narrowed her eyes the slightest bit. "She hated you so she let herself fade away…" she said without regret, looking at Alex unsympathetically.

Which was when he punched her directly in the mouth. "Say it again!" he shouted furiously. "I dare you to say it again you little brat!" he screamed at her as she cupped a hand over her bleeding mouth where she could feel he had split her lip for sure and possibly bruised her chin, his aim not exactly the best.

She crawled awkwardly along the floor, moving to get up when he hit her square between the shoulder blades, watching her writher in pain on the floor, the flaring pain shooting up her spine fluidly, a gasp emitting helplessly from her lips.

He smirked, grabbing her hair and tugged her up roughly, ignoring her squeals of pain. "I think keeping you here is a splendid idea. I'll show you how to speak to your elders," he snarled, moving up the stairs while she stumbled after him. "I'll make you really wish you knew how to let yourself just die as your blessed mother did," he spat, shoving her roughly to the floor in her room and approached her. "You most certainly won't ever be seeing that magical school ever again," he sneered menacingly into Lilia's face, admiring his handiwork as he let his eyes roam over her split and bleeding lip as well as the bruises upon her cheek from previous days.

She looked up at him, breathing raggedly. "They'll come for me…" she whispered.

Alex smirked. "Who will?" he taunted. "Your little girlfriend? The snarky one? Oh, well dear me, aren't I terrified of the wrath of the red headed munchkin," he said sarcastically, shoving her roughly to the ground. "You have any other little bratty friends who are gonna come to your aid, even though none of them know where to find you?" he sneered, clumsily grasping her chin in his hand, the bruise aching obviously when Lilia emitted a pained scream, turning her head away.

Alex smirked and shoved her roughly back, grinning when he watched as her head hit the post of her bed frame, emitting an audible thump. "And just what other friends have you got that will come to save your poor pitiful ass?" he taunted, approaching the disoriented and pained young girl.

She breathed shakily. "D…Dawn…" she whispered, finding it difficult to stay focused on her father. "Dumb… Dumble…"

"Dumb dumble? My, what odd friends you've been making all year, Lilia," he smirked.

"Dumbledore… will know…" she whispered, not really sure if he would, but figuring it was worth the try.

"Oh, right, the old man you mentioned before. Hmm, yes, I best be terrified of that old sack of bones. My, what horrors could he ever send my way, hmm?" he smirked. "I'll just tell him you're a spoiled little brat… I'll make up all these fabulous stories that will make you look like a wild animal to those people," he sneered. "No one will ever believe a little brat like you," he said triumphantly.

She looked at him for a moment, her head aching painfully. "He will…" she said.

"Who? Your little Dummydore?" he smirked. "I doubt it."

"Snape…" she said finally.

He rolled his eyes. "What the bloody hell is Snape?" he asked her.

"Severus Snape… he'll know… he'll come for me…" she whispered, looking at him, nodding weakly.

He smirked. "I sincerely doubt it, my dear," he said, approaching her. "Because you see, by the time anyone realizes your gone, you'll be halfway to your mother anyways…" he said dangerously, closing in on the helpless and fatigued girl.

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(( Alrighty! So of course, Lilia is back home for two weeks by this point *nod* Tell me what you thought of this chapter in reviews and comments! I love hearing from all my readers ^w^ I had this chapter planned out in a general sense for the longest time xD I'm SOOO happy to finally get this part down and then Chapter 29 in tomorrow ;) Hell yes. It will be friggin amazing and fantastic LOL :P You best keep a sharp eye out peoples! :O So much drama! *flails* ))


	29. Cry

(( I am so glad that I have created the exact effect I wanted with Alex Gunner and that people are thoroughly enjoying this story as much as they are :D Also, I am sooooo happy to know my story is inspiring other people to write too! That's awesome :D It makes me very proud to be on fan fiction dot net, putting out my ideas and gaining so much positive feedback :D I really hope you all enjoy the new chapter as much as I did while writing it :D

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter or the affiliated works. If I did, I assure you the spells would have not sounded half as cool as they actually do in the books xD I can guarantee Avada Kadavra, probably would have been Abra Cadabra :P ))

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It was very gloomy and depressing when he apparated to stand in front of the Gunner household. Snape looked up at the house which he had been alerted to come to, immediately walking towards it when he was sure no one had seen him apparate onto the street that evening. He strode purposefully towards the door, using his wand to easily unlock the door at the front of the house, but a hand reaching out stopped him for a moment before he could open the door.

"Do not do anything rash, Severus," Dumbledore said, having accompanied him when he'd seen the look on Snape's face in the middle of one of their discussions that evening. He'd know it was time. "Whatever you do, as tempting as the thought might be, do not use the unforgivable curses on that man," he said.

Snape narrowed his eyes. "And why shouldn't I?"

Dumbledore's eyes held an admirable twinkle. "Because they will land you a one way ticket to Azkaban," he said calmly. "In other words… you will destroy him, but you will leave Lilia behind even if unwillingly," he explained.

Snape glared, knowing it was true, If he was sent to Azkaban, he wouldn't see Lilia ever again anyways. It had crossed his mind more than once in the matter of moments it had taken to apparate to her street, to kill Lilia's father the moment he saw him, but the thought of losing Lilia in another way because of his quick and thoughtless actions was too painful to want to have to deal with. He would refrain from using the curses if he could.

"Go, before you miss the right chance," Dumbledore said, moving to stand to the side, knowing Snape would want to do this himself.

He nodded, and with that, opened the door to the household, stepping in alone.

His ears were immediately assaulted by her screams of agony.

Snape furiously grabbed the staircase post, taking the stairs two at a time up to the second floor, looking into the first room and seeing a seemingly normal, empty room, the bed untouched, the dresser in the corner and so on. He looked at the next door and heard voices, going to it right away and kicked open the door which had been partially closed.

The resounding bang when the knob hit the wall made the brown haired male pause in his attack, straightening and looking over his shoulder and then frowned. "Who the hell are you?" he exclaimed at the black clad man.

Lilia looked up from where she half lay on the floor, held up by one of her arms feebly, the other laying awkwardly by her side. She stared at Snape for a moment and felt her eyes well up in relief. "Severus…" she whispered shakily.

Snape felt a gut wrenching hate form in his gut at the sight of Lilia so beat up and injured, her lip split, her wrist clearly broken and just recently he figured due to her previous screams of pain.

He felt revoltion and anger building up inside him at the thought that one man could ever think to do this to Lilia.

"I said, who the hell are you?" Alex snarled, storming up to Snape.

Snape's cold gleaming eyes darted to the approaching muggle, and he lifted his wand, suddenly holding it right under Alex's neck, the tip digging into the underside of his chin. "I suggest you shut your mouth and stay out of my way," Snape said slowly and dangerously, his deep voice daring Alex to even try disobeying him.

Clearly he didn't get it.

"Oh, yes. The magic wand. How terrifying," Alex mocked with a smirk. "I'm shivering in my drawers right now," he said sarcastically.

Snape had had just about enough of this man, grabbing his collar roughly and shoved him up against the wall, holding the wand up to his face, sticking it into his cheek roughly, almost smirking when Alex actually winced and glared at Snape. "Don't… test… my patience…" he said slowly. "I've had just about enough of you," he said angrily, this time Alex actually shutting up and not saying a word as Snape moved back slightly, the wand still pointed at him.

When he was satisfied that Alex wasn't about to do anything stupid, he turned to look at Lilia, frowning at the vulnerable state she was in. He reached down, helping her to stand and put his arm carefully around her to help her stand steadily while she held onto him.

"What are you to my daughter?" he smirked. "Some bloody pedophile? You whore," he spat at Lilia.

She looked at him wearily, then looked up when she felt Snape tense under her hand.

Snape glared at Alex furiously, then tugged Lilia's arm. "We're leaving," he said coldly.

"You can't leave! She's my daughter!" Alex exclaimed in outrage. "I'll have you arrested for trespassing and kidnapping," he snarled.

Snape pointed his wand menacingly at Alex again when he moved to approach. "Watch yourself, muggle…" he said in an acid tone. "She may be your daughter by birth, but you are most certainly no father to this girl," he said threateningly.

She felt herself ache inside at those words in a good way but also in a bad way. "My wand…" she said. "It's been destroyed," she whispered, pointing to the splintered wood along her bed.

Snape glared at Alex again, then looked at Lilia, following her gaze to her bed where her broken wand lay. He picked it up and pocketed it. "It can be fixed," he said simply without expanding on how a completely broken wand could ever be repaired after being split in two.

"You can't take her! I'll report you! I'll get her back!" Alex shouted as Snape tugged Lilia along, moving towards the door.

He'd had enough of this man, turning to face him and narrowed his eyes. "I've had enough of you and your abuse towards my student," Snape said simply. "I'm sure your daughter has had just about enough of it as well," he said. With that, he pointed the wand directly at Alex and with a slight wave, he uttered one spell to end everything. "Obliviate," he said calmly, the charm hitting Alex squarely, tossing him back into the room, rendering him momentarily unconscious.

Lilia stood silently next to Snape, her hands still wrapped around his arm for support as she looked at the silent and unmoving body of her father. She felt for the first time, complete relief. It was short lived however, as Snape moved to bring her down the stairs and outside.

"Severus, remember to be careful from now on," Dumbledore said.

Lilia turned and looked up at the headmaster who in her eyes had appeared out of nowhere, Lilia having not known he was there of course.

"Also, remember what we discussed today," he said, winking as he disapparated quickly from the scene.

Lilia stood looking at the spot where Dumbledore had momentarily been, but was distracted when her face met Snape's chest, his arms holding her firmly to him, mindful of her broken wrist. For a moment she wondered what in the hell her professor was doing when he pulled his robe around them quickly and she felt her body suddenly being squeezed tighter and tighter. For a moment she thought Snape had lost it but realized suddenly she was being stretched and squished and pulled in all sorts of directions, the world around them blurring rapidly in a matter of seconds. She would have screamed had she been given the chance or the air to properly do so.

She suddenly gasped when the sensation eased up rapidly and she could finally feel the ground firmly beneath her.

Snape let go of her for a moment, taking her hand and stepped one way, pulling her along silently but firmly.

Lilia looked around, realizing she wasn't on her own street anymore. As far as she could tell she was in some industrial part of England. "Where are we?" she asked, sounding utterly exhausted as she followed Snape towards one of the close stacked houses nearby.

"My home," he muttered, clearly not thrilled about the idea of bringing Lilia to a place like Spinner's End.

She felt butterflies in her stomach at the thought that she was going to see Snape's house. Be inside it. It was such an odd realization that she could hardly believe it until he opened the door to the house she came to realize was his and they stepped in.

Once inside, he let go of her and went to find something, she assumed. However, as soon as he let go, she felt unstable and her vision spun slightly, the world tilting at an odd angle and then she felt the floor beneath her and searing pain in her wrist.

Snape turned and swore in frustration under his breath, immediately by her side and elevated her head slightly, frowning as he inspected her. He touched her head, feeling the bump under her hair and felt anger boil inside him again, figuring she might possibly be concussed which was leading to her acting so disoriented from the moment he'd found her in her room.

Picking her up, he brought her up to the second floor, to his room and lay her down on top of the bed, letting her rest finally while he tended to her injuries quickly.

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Lilia awoke to see it was raining heavily outside. She reached up, rubbing her eyes and paused for a moment, expecting the pain to come at any moment when she felt nothing. She looked at her wrist and was surprised to see it wasn't broken. Had she dreamed that horrible night up?

She looked around, realizing she was in a lace she had absolutely no recollection of, which only added to her confusion as she sat up, feeling a small headache from sleeping so long, which was nothing in comparison to the mind crushing and agonizing feeling she had felt the other night, making the world unfocused in her eyes. She rubbed her eyes, taking in her dark and impersonal surroundings for a moment, then climbed out of the bed quietly, moving slowly and cautiously to the door.

She remembered Snape coming to her room. But how? How had his timing in coming for her been so impeccable? If it had actually happened, of course. But why else would she be in this strange new place?

She stepped out into the slightly cramped hall, looking around at the mostly bare walls, again noticing how impersonal it all felt. When she reached the staircase, she stepped onto the top stair, looking back down the hall curiously, hearing nothing. She then turned and proceeded down the stairs carefully and quietly, hearing low hushed voices when she reached the bottom.

She stepped towards a doorway and pushed it open, peering into the room and seeing Snape seated in an armchair, another messy looking man standing nearby with his hands awkwardly poised near his chin.

Wormtail lifted his head and smiled broadly, his eyes widening. "The girl is awake!" he said, moving to get to her.

Lilia swallowed, looking up at him as he came over and inspected her.

"What a lovely child," he grinned.

Snape frowned, standing as he put down his copy of the Daily Prophet. "Get out, Wormtail. Your presence is not needed here any longer," he said firmly.

Wormtail's face fell slightly but he nodded, slinking back out the door Lilia had just come in through, going to a different area of the house, Lilia assumed.

When the door closed behind him with a wave of Severus's wand, she turned and looked up at him, not sure what to say for a moment, but decided to just speak what came to her mind. "You saved me…" she said, looking up at him.

Snape looked at her calmly, nodding with a slight tilt of his head.

"How did you know when to come?" she asked him quietly.

He sighed. "A jinx on my name, tailored specifically so that if you spoke my first name, I would be alerted of your presence and come to your aid. Whether you wanted to or not," he stated calmly. "Later tonight your things will arrive here. There is absolutely no way I will allow you to return there," he said firmly, expecting her to act stubborn and childish, having wanted to take it on her own. But she didn't.

Lilia looked at him quietly and then let go of a shaky breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "Thankyou…" she whispered finally.

Snape looked at her quietly, his lips parted slightly as though to say something but then he closed them in a firm line and nodded again.

She looked at him quietly and then looked down. "So… am I to stay here for the rest of the summer?" she asked.

He thought about how that would work, but decided it was her choice. "If you wish to stay here, you are welcome to do so. It isn't fancy and it doesn't have much room, but you may use mine for the time being until proper accommodations can be made," he explained.

Lilia looked at him quietly. "Are you sure you don't mind?" she asked.

He nodded.

She nodded, looking away, at the room itself, noticing how gloomy it looked and how full it was with books among other random things. But it really did remind her of Snape. She liked it already, just because it was his home. "Where are we exactly?" she asked.

"Spinner's End," Snape said calmly.

She nodded, looking around at the room, walking over quietly to some of the shelves and looked at the names on the books, her head tilting slightly so she could read the titles.

"You're still afraid, aren't you?" he asked her in a quieter voice.

She looked over her shoulder at him and swallowed. "What gives you that impression?" she asked.

He frowned. "You look the way you always do when you return to Hogwarts. As if you think this is temporary," he said.

She looked away. "So what if I think it is?" she asked.

He clenched his teeth for a moment, then sighed. "It isn't. You're safe now…" he murmured. "I assure you, you can laugh and smile and cry without worrying of any consequences."

She turned to face him then, a pained look in her eyes. "But what if he remembers and comes for me?" she asked in a whisper, looking just about ready to break on the inside.

He looked at her calmly. "He will not…" he said finally. He watched the devastating expression on her face and then opened his mouth to speak again. "Cry…" he ordered suddenly.

She looked at him in confusion. "What?" she whispered.

"Cry… I want you to cry."

She recoiled at the order and looked at him in disbelief. "Why the hell would you want to see me cry?" she asked.

"Because I want you to know you can trust me… you can cry here without having to hold them back. You can let me in and let all the feelings you've bottled up out finally without worry," he said, approaching her slowly. "I want you to finally let yourself live without feeling hatred constantly for those around you," he murmured.

She looked up at him and felt her lower lip threatening to tremble at his words which were hitting her hard in her heart.

"Cry…" he whispered, placing a hand on one side of her head against one of the shelves which a row of books sat upon behind her.

She looked up at him pleadingly and shook her head. "I don't want to…" she said shakily, but felt it would only be a matter of moments before she cried in relief, sadness, pain and so much more in front of him.

"Why not?"

She looked down for a moment, then up at him again, her eyes welling up against her usually incredibly strong will. "Because then I'll be showing emotion… You think that's weak…" she whispered finally. "I don't want you to think of me as weak…" she whimpered.

He looked at the young girl silently, seeing how torn up inside she was and how broken she really had become in a matter of four weeks already. He then smirked faintly. "I don't think of you as weak…"

"You won't like me if I show emotion… You like me the way I am now," she insisted, her head shaking slightly.

He leaned down and gently, feeling a tad uncomfortable at the display before him, pressed his lips to her forehead. "I like you not because you are merely strong or indifferent towards those around you… I like you because you're different in mind and soul… and I fancy you simply because you're you, not the way you act," he said, moving back slightly and looking at the nearly breaking down teen before him. "I'm not telling you to change who you are, Lilia… I merely want you to be able to cry or laugh around me without having to bottle up your emotions anymore," he said finally.

She looked up at him silently and then felt something deep inside her break free. Her tears spilled over and she shut her eyes tightly, hanging her head as she slumped back against the bookshelf helplessly at his strong words. She felt his hand come to rest against the side of her head and she immediately moved to step right into him, burying her face into his chest, her shoulders trembling as she began to cry whole heartedly in the presence of another person for the first time.

Snape felt a little unsure how to comfort the girl who had finally broken down at his words, but he did what he thought was best and stayed quiet, letting her release her frustrations and tears on him, his hand merely resting upon her head as she cried that rainy evening.

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(( Tada! Chapter 29! ^w^ I hope you all liked it J FINALLY Lilia gets to be free from that nasty horrible Alex right? Totally deserves it I think ;) Lol, and poor Snape xD So unaccustomed to affection or comfort, so I hope the way he tries to let Lilia release her emotions sort of stays true to how he MIGHT act if ever in that situation J I wanted him to try comforting her, but be new at it and unsure of course if he was able to J Anywho, I had loads of awesome reviews from the previous chapter so PLEASE REVIEW FOR THIS ONE! I love hearing from you all, my dearest readers ;) Chapter 30 tomorrow! :O Lol :P ))


	30. New Home

(( Let me just begin by saying something completely unrelated to the story -w- MY FEET HUUUURRTTTT Standing for 8 hours a day in the sweltering heat at a register all day is BRUTAL XD THAT being said -w- I. Love. You. All! :D Someone read the chapter twice that I uploaded last night! ^w^ I feel so proud! Lol I love all the reviews I've been getting :D I always am so happy to read them! :D Keep em coming people! I'll answer some questions people may have also thought about the last chapter at the end of this one ^^

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the affiliated works. If I did, well… I would be very rich, wouldn't I? ;) Buy myself a Snape look alike xDDD ))

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She sighed with relief as she lay back and let herself relax, the sensation of relief overtaking her after so long. That bath water was hot, her hair lathered with shampoo and the bubbles rose up to her chin. A bath. It had been the very first thing Lilia had done when her things had arrived at Snape's house.

It was a mind trip really. To be naked in a hot bath… in her professor's house… him KNOWING she was naked in order to take a bath… The thought made her cheeks flush a deep crimson colour and she sunk down a little further into the bath water.

When she finished and was all cleaned up, she got out, dried herself off with one of the towel's Snape had given to her to use for now until she unpacked her things, and then brushed her hair in the mirror. After that, she pulled on a pair of pyjama pants in plain grey and a black shirt to wear on top.

She looked in the mirror at her reflection, reaching up to touch the spot where she had split her lip only a few hours earlier. It was bare and undamaged thanks to whatever Snape had done to fix her up while she had slept when he first brought her there.

She was suddenly distracted by an absolutely incredible smell, turning her head and inhaling.

Snape could cook?

Somehow she had never figured it so, but when she thought about it, she supposed if he was a well versed potions master he would certainly be extremely adept in the kitchen. It made sense.

Stepping out from the bathroom, Lilia made her way downstairs, stepping into the kitchen to ask what was for dinner when she was distracted by the sight of Snape loading a soup of some sort into a bowl. It was such an odd sight to her, she nearly sputtered out in laughter. But she figured he did in fact need to eat something.

He glanced up with a slight frown when she entered and stood straighter, nodding towards the bowl. "That's for you. Leftovers for tonight, if you don't mind," he said.

She shook her head. "Not at all," she said, walking over and picked up the bowl, brining it to the small table and sat down, looking at it and inhaling more of that rich delicious aroma. "What is it exactly?" she asked.

He shook his head and waved his hand at her. "Just eat it. You look like a skeleton," he remarked.

She looked at him and sighed, but then picked up her spoon and began to eat it. She glanced up after a few spoons and was about to ask if there was any bread to have with it when she saw Snape already putting down a few slices on a plate and setting it near her. "Thanks," she said and tore up a bit, dropping the bread bits into her bowl and began to eat the hearty soup.

When she finished, she sighed, sitting back and looked at the empty bowl, then up at Snape who had stood leaning against the counter, his arms crossed and brooding.

She tilted her head slightly and looked up at him. "Is something the matter, professor?" she asked.

He looked at her quietly. "Severus."

She hesitated, still feeling a bit elated and a tad awkward at using his first name. "Severus…" she nodded.

He looked at her calmly and then motioned around him at the small cramped kitchen and the cramped sitting room with books everywhere. "I'm not thrilled at keeping you here," he said. "It's not the most esteemed place to keep a young lady," he said and frowned. "You should try asking your friend, Miss. Pyrites if you can stay with her instead," he said. He was about to continue when Lilia cut him off.

"No," she said softly and looked at him. "I like it here."

He frowned, looking at her like she was officially insane. "Why?"

She looked at him and then down, reluctantly saying it. "Because it's where you live. I just automatically liked it," she said calmly. "It feels safer than anywhere I've ever been to before."

He sighed. "It's a depressing looking place, Lilia,"

"No. Just because something looks dark or gloomy or depressing doesn't mean it is. Take your home for instance. It may look like it barely ever sees life inside it, but you fill It up with your presence and that's all I need right now," she insisted. "And then there's you. Someone who didn't know you might think you're depressing or gloomy… but… I don't think you are. Not to me at least," she said, meeting his cold hard gaze. "I just… this place is more home to me than where I've been living for the last fourteen years…"

"You consider this your home?" he asked her.

She looked at him and then shrugged. "If you will let me call it that, then yes," she said.

He watched her for a moment and then sighed. "If you want it to be, then you are welcome to consider it such," he said, uncrossing his arms.

She felt relived that he would let her call this place her home. Even if it wasn't perfect or inviting, it was home to her. Just like even though Snape wasn't perfect or inviting either, he was the one person she wanted to be around more than anyone else.

She then glanced at her empty bowl and stood, bringing it to the kitchen sink and rinsed it. "Why didn't you eat anything?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Not hungry."

She looked at him curiously but decided not to pester him about it, figuring it was something personal that created a lack of appetite in him.

When she finished washed the dishes, she wiped her hands on her pants and then looked around. "Would… it be possible for me to write a letter?" she asked.

He nodded. "You may use my owl to send it if you need to," he said, moving away to go to the sitting room.

"Alright… thank you," she said.

Lilia had never even once written a letter in her life, so she took a piece of paper and started it the way she figured most people did.

_Dawn, _

_I'm not living at home any longer. I've gotten away with some help. I'm not sure if my new guardian would want the address known, or whether they themselves would want to be known as my new guardian, so I won't tell you where I am right now. I might later, if I am allowed to. I'm safe though. I promise. All you need to know is that I have a real home now. I'll speak to you at school in September if I don't write again. _

_-Lilia._

Lilia read over the small letter again then folded it up and went to Snape, finding him at the window of his sitting room with an owl waiting on the window sill.

She held out the letter and looked at him, not sure how to send a letter by owl.

Grasping it, Snape opened it up, scanning it quickly, then put it inside a small envelope, addressing it to Dawn Pyrites, then handed it to the owl, who merely flew off into the night to deliver it.

"Does it know where to go?" she asked.

He nodded silently, closing the window.

She nodded as well, looking out the glass window again and then looked up at him. "I suppose I should go to sleep. I still have to unpack in the morning," she said.

He nodded again without words.

She bit her lower lip, then moved past him, opening the door connecting the sitting room with the hallway. "Goodnight… Severus," she said, looking back at him.

He glanced at her. "Goodnight, Lilia…" he said calmly.

She turned away with that, and went upstairs to get some sleep after such an exhausting day.

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(( Alrighty! Yes it's a short chapter but I had another idea in mind, BUT it seemed too early to implement it yet so I just made a filler chapter for now so I hope you guys don't mind w I hope you enjoyed it for tonight and tomorrow of ocurse I have a day off from work so I can relax and write to my heart's content and produce a well thought out chapter tomorrow for you all J NOW! I got a review asking why Snape didn't end up beating the crap basically out of Alex Gunner in the previous chapter. He just Obliviated him xD My question to you all is, would Snape ever actually beat the crap out of anyone? XD I can't picture it at all. He seems VERY straight and to the point :P So he just swiftly ended it right there when he could ^^ Another question was if Wormtail is going ot tell Voldemort about Lilia living with Snape xD I dunno, it's an ongoing debate as to what I'll have happen with that idea J We'll just have to see what happens xD Cause at this point I still dunno haha :D Anywho! I am off to have some well deserved dinner after 8 hours in the heat AND I shall have tomorrow's chapter up for you all to enjoy tomorrow J Nighty night! ))


	31. Happy Birthday

(( Huzzah! Chapter 31 ^^ I'm relieved you all liked my little filler chapter haha :D Like I said, I felt I needed something in between Chapter 29 and this one xD Otherwise it would just feel like I skipped over something (not sure WHAT exactly but meh) :P Too early to use this chapter for yesterday I thought xD BUT anywho :P Here is Chapter 31 J I certainly hope you all enjoy it for the little things that happen ^^

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the affiliated works. On the other hand, my room is full of HP memorabilia and will continue to grow in that sense until I die as an old hag… STILL obsessing over Severus Snape -w- ))

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_Happy birthday Lilia! I do hope things are going well wherever you're staying. The owl your using is so fast! Smart too. Much smarter than Arwen, unfortunately for me. Anyways. I took the liberty of getting you another dress because you look absolutely wonderful in them, and I also sent some money so you can buy yourself something you like. I hate to be impersonal that way, but I really never did find out what your interests are outside of school, and I'm also one of those people who would rather get money and buy what I want than like something someone else bought for me… but you must like the dress… because it is lovely, of course. Have a splendid fifteenth birthday hun! I can't wait to hear from you again._

_-Dawn_

Lilia smiled a little, reading the letter enclosed with the parcel she had received from Dawn via owl that morning. The dress was lovely too. A deep emerald green, ending just above her knees. Strapless. It was a bit bold for Lilia but she would wear it today since it had stopped raining in Spinner's End to let in a faint little bit of sun and warmth. She only hoped at the back of her mind that Snape would like the dress as much as she did. It amazed her how Dawn seemed to satisfy both their tastes in one item so easily.

August. The third to be precise. She had spent a week so far at Severus's home, enjoying every moment of freedom she was handed with. She could pretty much do whatever she wanted.

Severus gave her more than enough privacy, clearly still unaccustomed to having a female in the house, let alone living there.

Wormtail, well… Lilia was still unsure what to make of him. He was odd, but he seemed to keep to himself when he needed to. He seemed a little overly friendly at times, but she seemed to think he didn't get much social interaction and hadn't for some time, leading to his overly strange habits and ways of speaking to someone.

It had been alarming on her second day to wake up in the early morning to him in Snape's room, which she was still sleeping in at night, organizing some of her things. When asked about it he merely grinned, insisting he was ordered to help her unpack.

Of course, clearly he'd misunderstood, not thinking that he had meant later when she was awake already. Snape had gone to punish him for bothering her in the morning but she'd stepped in and said it was alright, deciding she might as well have woken up then rather than slept in.

She sighed, heading up to her temporary room for the time being, undressing and then put on the dress that morning. It fit her well, hugging her waist perfectly, moulding to her body almost like it had been made specially for her. She wondered if Dawn somehow had gotten it that way, though she couldn't think of any way how.

She looked in the mirror, the corner of her mouth tugging up a little as she noticed the shade of the dress was almost exactly the same as her eyes.

Turning away, she took the bit of money Dawn had given her and set it aside for later use, not sure what she would want to buy with it just yet.

She then went downstairs, stepping into the sitting room to read a little bit to pass the time, whe nshe saw Snape reading the Daily Prophet in his arm chair.

He glanced up from where he sat and folded the paper down a bit, looking her up ad down. "Where did you get that from?" he asked.

She remembered he hadn't been present when the package arrived, figuring he must have still been asleep or something elsewhere in the house. Either that, or doing whatever it was professors did during the summer off. "Dawn gave it to me. It's a birthday present. Do you like it?" she asked. She mentally punched herself for asking, not thinking Snape would just outright say something like 'You look lovely,' or 'I love it'.

He nodded silently then. "It's nice. It matches your eyes," he commented absent mindedly.

She looked at him slightly surprised by the… sort of compliment, but then smiled. "Thank you," she murmured.

Snape put down his paper and laced his fingers together, looking at her with a slight frown. "Your birthday. I wasn't aware it was today," he said.

She moved to sit in one of the other chairs and smoothed the skirt of her dress along her legs, looking up at him. "To be entirely honest, I forgot it was today," she admitted. "Seems that Dawn remembered though and made sure to send something with your owl before it left," she shrugged. "I hope that's alright," she added quickly.

He nodded. "It's fine," he stated. He then sighed, looking troubled. "Is there something in particular you want for your birthday?" he asked her after a few moments of awkward silence.

She looked surprised by the question, not having expected anything from Severus. He Didn't seem the type to buy or make something for someone's birthday. The idea and mental image was so ludicrous she almost burst out laughing for the first time. But she kept herself composed and shook her head. "No, I don't want anything really," she shrugged.

He frowned. "You're sure?" he asked.

She nodded.

"Well… I suppose if you decide you want something, be certain to let me know. I wouldn't want to look like a fool by not getting you at least something to remember your birthday by," he said.

She looked down and nodded. "Alright" she said, truly having no idea what to ask him for.

Wormtail stepped into the sitting room, carrying a mug and held it out to Snape. "Your drink, sir," he said and looked at Lilia. "My, what a lovely dress," he said. "The colour. It looks just like Lily's-" he asked.

Snape felt his blood turn to ice and glared at Wormtail. "Get out…" he said through clenched teeth.

Wormtail could tell he'd said something wrong, though didn't know what and so he stepped away, going back into the kitchen. "Oh! Does the miss desire anything to drink?" he asked.

She shook her head.

With that he smiled and nodded, disappearing into the kitchen or perhaps another section of the house again.

She looked at the kitchen doorway and then at Snape. "Severus? Who's Lily?" she asked, genuinely curious by this mysterious woman. Had Snape been married to someone by the name of Lily? Had he been seeing someone with that name? Was that why he liked her? Because her name was very similar?

"No one," he said firmly.

She swallowed, looking at him, seeing something was bothering him. She decided not to anger him by pressing the issue, even as curious as she was. Perhaps she would find out later.

She got up and went up to the room she was staying in to compose a letter in response to Dawn's package, to thank her for the lovely gift.

Snape in the meantime remained in his chair, sipping his drink quietly, looking at the chair Lilia had been seated in only moments before. He could have strangled Wormtail right at the moment he'd mentioned Lily in front of Lilia. He did not want her to break down again, somehow thinking he only cared about her merely because she was vaguely similar in some ways to Lily Potter the way he remembered her. He didn't need her to think she was just a replacement, because even if she was similar, she was extremely different in many ways. She was not like Lily outside of their eye color being the same, their names being similar.

Lilia had been closed off and introverted, abused and hated for what she was by her father, been alone for most of her life and experienced a form of evil Lily couldn't imagine.

Lily had been carefree and light hearted, seeing only the good in those around her, believing there was always more to life than what was given at face value. While Lily had faced evil in the presence of Voldemort and died a cruel fated death by his wand, it was done quickly, whereas Lilia had been left to literally suffer for years.

He could see that no matter what, Lilia was for more suited to him than Lily had ever been. He was dark and introverted and not very sociable, just like Lilia was, and just like Lily was not. Lilia had chosen to willingly be by his side where Lily had refused and gone to stand by the side of another man.

As much as he still loved Lily Potter, he now knew that he was beginning to love Lilia for who she was, not who she was similar to in the smallest and lease important of ways.

Snape knew he wanted her to be his, to trust him and accept him even if at times it was difficult. He wanted to know that she desired him just as he did her.

He sighed, resting his head against his palm wearily, the thoughts churning in his head being utterly exhausting. Love was so hard to hold onto when death and pain closed in so swiftly upon it, smothering any hope of it, but he refused to let that happen to Lilia. He would not let her be taken from him. He would do anything he could to make her life as easy and worthwhile as he could, to the best of his abilities.

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Lilia had taken quite a while to write the letter to Dawn, having wanting to convey how much it pleased her to finally get to enjoy her birthday to some extent for the first time in years. It had been difficult to make the contents of her letter sound genuine, but eventually she had gotten it, and signed it, then put it inside an envelope, addressing it to Dawn as always and brought it to Snape's owl, placing it gently into the bird's beak, stroking its soft feathers and opened the window, instructing it to go to the Pyrites household, watching as the large bird flew out and away in the proper direction.

She leaned forward onto the window sill and looked out at the relatively nice day which was uncommon from what she could tell in Spinner's End. As nice as the day was though, she didn't feel like going outside. Not only was there not very much to do in Spinner's End, but she felt uncomfortable being outside on her own, especially in a still relatively unknown neighbourhood.

She sighed, looking out at the slightly blue tinted sky, enjoying the calming view when she heard a creak behind her, indicating someone approaching. Looking over her shoulder she saw Snape enter the room and walk over calmly, coming to stand beside her.

"It seems I neglected a crucial part of the day already," he said.

She blinked, wondering what he was talking about.

He glanced at her quietly. "Happy birthday," he said, folding his arms behind his back.

She looked at him and then pushed herself to stand upright, subconsciously reaching up to touch her hair. "Oh, thank you…" she said softly.

He looked at her for a moment and then reached out, his fingers gently gliding into her fine black hair, his thumb gently rubbing her cheekbone. He then leaned down and pressed his lips to hers in a gentle kiss, holding it for a few moments before he pulled away, looking at her, their faces still only a small distance apart.

She blushed lightly, looking at his lips, then into his dark eyes. "I… I think I may have a request for my birthday," she whispered, very afraid to ask, having no idea how he would react to her proposal, but still wanting to ask it nonetheless.

He raised a brow, still gently lacing his fingers into her hair. "What is it?" he asked.

She swallowed slightly, glancing away, then met his gaze again. "I want nothing more, than for you to… share the bed with me tonight," she said, biting her lower lip softly and hoping she sounded calm, even though she felt like her insides had utterly turned to goo.

He looked down his nose at her then, letting go of her hair and frowned, unsure if lying in the same bed as her was such a good idea. "Why?"

She looked up at him and then frowned slightly, looking down and shrugged. "I just want to know what it's like to have someone lying next to you at night. That's all. To feel comforted by your presence even while I'm asleep. I want only that much," she said, sighing and looking up at him. Her shoulders fell a little, seeing his displeased expression.

He frowned deeply, wondering if he should give her that much. He himself had never just lye down in bed next to another person before. Just to be next to them while asleep. The idea seemed irritating and pointless to him, before. But with her almost pleading green eyes, he found it difficult to refuse such an opportunity when presented to him so willingly by the other person. He sighed and then pressed his lips together in a firm line. "Alright… tonight I'll come here," he said. "But under no circumstances will you tell Wormtail," he said seriously. "I don't need that rat talking about my lying in bed with a young girl," he said.

She felt shocked and excited that he'd agreed to do it. She nodded eagerly, a slight smile playing upon her lips as he retreated back out the door and downstairs, no doubt to brood over how uncomfortable it might be to share a bed with his student. But he'd agreed, and that made Lilia happy. She wanted to feel Snape lying next to her in bed, just to know he was right there and he would be the last person she would see before falling asleep and the first person when she woke up. The thought was endearing and she simply couldn't wait for that opportunity when it came to fruition that evening.

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She got up from the dinner table that evening after finishing her meal, washing her dish and then wiped her hands on a dish towel off to the side. She then proceeded upstairs to Snape's room which she was using for the time being, changed into her pyjamas and brushed her teeth. She then fixed her hair, looking at her reflection and huffed, ruffling her hair back into its usual place and patted down any stray hairs.

She moved over to the bed and climbed in, laying down on the side furthest from the door, patiently waiting.

There was a moment in the dark bedroom when she figured Snape wouldn't come after all, but just when she was about to resign to yet another unaccompanied night of sleep, she heard the door open and turned to see Snape entering, closing the door behind him.

He glanced over at her and frowned. "You look surprised," he commented.

"I thought you weren't coming," she blurted.

He rolled his eyes. "Foolish girl," he remarked, moving to sit down on the edge of the bed, kicking his shoes off and lye down next to her. He sighed, feeling odd being in the bed next to Lilia, and he glanced at her, feeling her eyes on him. "What?" he asked, frowning.

She shook her head, offering a faint smile. "Nothing," she insisted.

He narrowed his eyes sceptically at her, but said nothing, moving to pull the thin blanket over them both, then put an arm behind his head, lying there silently.

Lilia felt a very strong fluttering in her stomach, being in bed next to Snape even if they were saying nothing and not even touching. But it was such a wonderful feeling she wished it could happen again someday, perhaps. She then yawned softly, stifling it with her hand and blinked away any pesky drowsy tears that came with it. She then fluffed the pillow slightly and lay her head back down upon it, lying on her side and closed her eyes, finally feeling that she could sleep completely at ease.

Snape remained quiet, but eventually glanced to the side, watching Lilia's sleeping face. It was different watching her sleep there right next to him in his bed than it had been watching her sleep at Hogwarts the few times he'd been there to make sure the potion for her pains worked properly. Now, it seemed so intimate that he was sorely tempted to reach out and stroke her hair, touch her cheeks, her lips… kiss her while she slept.

He frowned, admiring her fine black hair which fell slightly over her face while she lay there. He noticed she didn't move it away, figuring she was asleep so he carefully reached out, brushing it away gently and tucked it behind her ear.

She opened her eyes, looking up at him curiously.

He paused in his motions, watching those green orbs watch him. He then moved himself up onto his elbow and cupped her cheek, leaning down and kissed her deeply, closing his eyes as he did so.

Lilia followed suit, closing her eyes in response as well and returned the kiss which now felt far more intimate than any before it.

Snape knew now that he did love Lilia. He had for some time. Why else would he have requested his name be jinxed upon her tongue for the sole purpose of saving her when she said his name? Why else would he have brought her to his home and wanted to keep her there so he could protect her? Why else would he feel so much for her and want to take care of her above anyone else? Simple. Because even though he still did love Lily Potter deeply, he also loved Lilia with every fibre of his being and would keep doing so until the end of days.

He felt Lilia part her lips against his and he complied, slipping his tongue tentatively into her mouth, tasting the wet caverns of her mouth again, their tongues curiously tasting and touching each others. He felt an odd sensation begin inside him and he slid his hand to her waist, tugging her closer to him, to which she willingly allowed herself to be pulled along, their bodies pressing firmly and intimately together.

Lilia moved closer, smirking into the kiss slightly when Snape pulled her on top of himself, her arms sliding around his neck and pressing even closer, deepening the kiss more so, both of them occasionally parting for only a moment so they could breathe.

She then gasped, feeling something she hadn't felt before and stopped, looking at him with wide eyes, a deep blush forming on her cheeks, which she hoped he couldn't see too well in the dark bedroom. Never had she expected to feel such a thing, from Snape nonetheless, but she realized it didn't scare her to know he was aroused. In fact, she realized she was aroused as well, and she desired him more than she had before.

He looked up at her, his breath as well as hers a little shaky, but when she looked at him with that knowing expression… and leaned down to kiss him deeply again, he knew she would not stop him. He could feel that she was alright with whatever transpired that night, so he did what he wanted to do more than anything at that moment and grasped her waist, rolling them over and pinned her to the bed, not with just his hands but with his entire body this time, kissing her deeply, wanting to taste every delicious part of the girl he loved and desired now, whole heartedly.

Every time Lilia felt Snape kiss her deeply, waves of pleasure and delight overtook her body, and she knew she desired more - everything. She wanted to share in every experience that she was able to with Severus. Especially the one she desperately hoped was coming now.

Severus moved to push her shirt up, Lilia pushing herself up a little from the bed and against him to help him remove it, their lips parting just for the moment so Severus could slip it over her head.

Lilia then undid Snape's clothes as well, pulling them off while he continued to undress her, until finally they were both completely naked.

Snape took a moment to let his eyes wander over her slight curves and delicate body, admiring her smooth, white skin which stood out in a brilliant contrast to her black hair, now strewn out around her on the pillow. He watched as her chest rose and fell with each slightly shaky breath. He let a hand slide up her side and up to cup one of her breasts gently, his thumb gently teasing her nipple which perked delightfully under his slight touch, eliciting a soft gasp from the girl beneath him.

Lilia looked up at him and watched as his hands roamed over her body gently, familiarizing himself with the soft features along her person, all the while pleasing her gently, making her gasp and pant a little here and there, while her heart raced a mile a minute, feeling completely exposed and vulnerable right now, but safe because it was with Severus that she was this way.

Severus loved the way he could make her react in surprise every few moments when he touched and caressed her in different places, moving then to kiss her deeply while his hand slid down her body which was the perfect blend of youth and womanhood, innocence and temptation. He slid his hand down to her hips, then moved his hands to part her legs gently and slowly, so as not to alarm the girl. He then slid his hand to her most sensitive spot and teased her there softly, wanting her to be completely relaxed and open to what was so very close to happening tonight between them.

Lilia closed her eyes and let a soft whimper of pleasure leave her at the feeling of his fingers gently touching her pleasure button, making her fingers delicately curl and clutch onto the blanket beneath her.

Severus then gently slid a finger into her wet heat, watching her for any hints of wanting to stop. When he saw none, he added a second finger, moving to gently kiss her again, feeling how there was less room to manoeuvre so it would become a bit uncomfortable for her when he added the third finger. He pulled away and looked at her steadily. "Ready?" he asked.

She nodded, worried it might be more uncomfortable than she would mind when he added a third finger, but when he did it was really only a mild discomfort. The feeling of something to strange inside her made her whine lightly and squirm her hips, this motion only exciting Severus more as he moved his fingers gently in and out to get her used to the new sensations assaulting her lower half.

He watched her squirm a little, his manhood throbbing, wanting so badly to be buried inside her, but he would wait, wanting this first moment of intimacy to be enjoyable for both of them.

When she relaxed and looked up at him, Lilia sighed softly and nodded for him to continue.

Severus looked at her for a moment and pulled his fingers out, moving to balance himself over her and looked into her eyes for a moment, pressing the tip of his erect manhood to her wet opening, pushing in very gently until only the tip was inside her.

She gasped in surprise at the much larger feeling of him slowly entering her. When he pushed in a little more, she winced, her eyes welling up from the very severe discomfort of him inside. When he stopped, however, she put a hand upon his cheek and shook her head. "Don't stop," she urged gently, dearly wanting to please him this way. "I want this," she insisted, her green eyes showing only certainty in her words.

He looked at her and nodded, leaning down again and pressed his lips to hers, in a futile attempt to distract her from the pain and discomfort as he moved to push in again, only stopping once he was fully sheathed inside her. He pulled away, letting a shaky sigh escape him at the heat and tight muscle surrounding him, the pleasure it giving him, insurmountable.

He gently pressed his forehead to hers, watching her, unmoving inside her so she could have a moment to adjust to the new feeling.

Lilia opened her eyes then and looked up at him, breathing a little shakily, but then leaned up and pressed her lips to his, blushing lightly as she did so. When she pulled away, she whispered one word to him only. "Move…"

He complied immediately, gently beginning to move out and then back inside her, using his arms to support himself on top of her while he did so, his pace picking up slowly, not wanting to hurt her by mistake from being too hard or rough.

Lilia panted softly while he gently pushed in and out, the two moving to kiss deeply again while Lilia moaned softly when the pace picked up a little more, neither obviously wanting to let Wormtail know what they were up to at that moment.

Suddenly Severus began to thrust more forcibly inside her, making her arch her back off the bed a little, their bodies pressing firmly together as a light film of sweat began to cover them while they continued, their bodies moving so perfectly in tune with one another on his bed that night, only finally losing their rhythm when Severus could feel his climax approaching, his thrusts become much more rough and irregular.

The irregular thrusts made Lilia bite her lip, groaning helplessly against the waves of pleasure filling her up inside completely, her fingers clutching at the pillow under her head indicating how good it all felt to her. She then suddenly gasped, feeling something snap inside her and she moaned helplessly as she came, her muscles clamping down upon Severus's manhood, still buried deep inside her.

This even tighter sensation forced Severus to finally cum with her, closing his eyes as he let out a groan of relief, the pressure in his lower abdomen having steadily built up during their nightly activity.

When he felt himself calm down a bit, he looked at the girl who was panting just as heavily as he was, her bangs slightly stuck to her forehead. He smirked a little and brushed them away gently, cupping her cheek and leaned down, kissing her lovingly then, wanting to convey the things he felt for her in that kiss. When he pulled away, he met her eyes, the smirk still there. "Happy birthday, again…" he murmured.

She panted softly and smiled a little up at him, too exhausted to come up with some amusing remark. She merely sighed softly, closing her eyes and relaxed under him while he gently pulled out of her, moving to lay next to her on the bed that night.

He lay on his side, admiring the way the moonlight streamed in and highlighted her body, her white skin almost glowing in a majestic way before him. He felt amazed that a young girl as precious as her would ever associate herself with him, but he would do anything he could to please her now.

Lilia opened her eyes and looked to her side up at him, smiling faintly up at him. She loved him. She knew she did. What they'd just done was not merely sex fuelled by lust. They had made love with one another and they both knew it. The thought made Lilia smile even broader, unable to help it.

Snape smirked as he watched her, reaching out and stroked her hair gently, then moved to pull the blanket up over them both. He leaned down, kissing her forehead softly and looked at her. "Get some sleep…" he murmured to her quietly.

She nodded, letting her eyes slip closed, falling asleep very fast, more than happy to do so next to Snape who stayed awake a few minutes more just to admire her quietly while she slept, only finally laying down when his body was slumping against his will, wanting to get some rest as well, especially after sex.

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(( OMIGOD! That ONLY took 31 chapters to get to eh? XDDD I hope you all liked it! :D I know I had quite a rough time writing it xD I swear, it's DEFS one of the toughest things to do to keep Snape in character while he's horny and getting some xD So I hope I did a decent job with that xD Anyways DEFS tell me what you all thought! I want an inbox full of reviews again! :D Anywho, off I go to watch movies and FINALLY relax after writing non stop for… *checks* 6 hours xD Longest chapter yet! :P But I think I'm quite proud of it J Within reason ^^ Lemme know what you thought! I REALLY want to sit and read plenty of peoples reviews :D I love love love reading them ^^ The longer the better LOL ))


	32. Death Eater

(( Alright, before I say anything I have to immediately apologize for using the word deeply WAYYYYYYYY too often in my fan fiction xD I seriously need a thesaurus lmao :P Anyways, so yesterday I finally got my first negative review :S Suffice to say a LOT of the thing in it were very ignorant, that's how I feel, because quite frankly the person had blatantly said they skipped over chapter 11 all the way to 31. Now, I'm going to address some of those issues if this person is reading this because to be quite honest, they irritated me a lot. Snape is not a pedophile in this story. Ahem, did it not take over two years and 30 chapter for him to actually do it with Lilia? -_- Also, Snape IS in love with Lily in this story. It's been addressed like a thousand times in this fan fiction, so to say that "Snape is in love with Lily, that's that and that's what makes Snape him," uhh… *points at all the frustrations Snape has dealt with in this story regarding his love for Lily* So to skip over like 20 chapters and then reviewing and saying Snape isn't himself here because he doesn't love Lily in the story, that's extremely ignorant, also, you may as well go ahead and review ALL the other Snape x OC fan fictions on the planet and say the same thing. I know this fan fiction isn't realistic, hence why it is called FAN FICTION. Also, if you don't want to read stuff about Snape loving someone other than Lily Evans/ Potter, WHY would you even waste your life coming to the Snape x OC fan fiction area? Like really. Also, Lilia is similar is SMALL ways to Lily. Green eyes, white skin, similar name. I didn't want someone EXACTLY the same as Lily because to be quite honest, it would feel rather redundant and the girl would practically be a real replacement for Lily which I doubt Snape would ever do. Also, a huge issue in the review was that Lilia wouldn't act that way if she was 11 or 12 or whatever and being abused at home. Apparently she would be terrified all the time and acting out and causing trouble. This is by far the most ignorant statement I've ever come across. Not every child when abused acts the same. If I have to say it, I will. Lilia IS in a lot of ways based off of me. Especially the attitude due to abuse. When I was 6 years old horrible abused started in my home to me and my sister. I reacted in exactly the same way Lilia does, introverted and quiet and I would hide it because one, I was unsure of what to do and two, I would refuse to give that pig the satisfaction of knowing he'd scared me. Tp be quite frank, I hid it so well my own FATHER didn't know what was going on until my sister told him, and we were seeing him every second weekend. If someone could have picked up Lilia's abuse at the school so easily, then why couldn't my father pick up on it for over 7 years hmm? So there, I said. Not ALL little kids act the same when abused. As a NINE year old, I reacted the way a friggin 20 year old would, alright? So think before you spout this nonsense. *frowns and huffs* Okay, rant over -_- Just really wanted to address that highly ignorant review someone sent. …. Rawr -_- If you want to stop reading the story, hey by all means, I don't except everyone to like this story, I just don't appreciate getting such ignorant reviews with no real foundation to the arguments.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the affiliated works unfortunately. I'm being honest when I say if I DID own Harry Potter, I would have been at every filming session featuring Mr. Rickman and I assure you I would have greatly enjoyed pretending to be in detention with him on a first hand basis ;) ))

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Come morning, Lilia had woken on her own, the bed empty where Severus had been laying the night before. When she looked at the time, she assumed it was because he had things to do. She'd woken a little after twelve, after all; Lilia doubted Severus ever slept in so late, let alone ever.

Climbing from the bed, she sighed, running a hand over her face and looked at herself in a mirror, blushing when she saw herself wrapped only in the thin bed sheet. She'd really had sex with her professor. If someone had told her when she started at Hogwarts that she would end up making love one night on her fifteenth birthday to Severus Snape, she would have probably slapped them and called them completely mad.

Sighing, she got up and held the sheet around her, going to get some clothes on, putting on the first bluish black summer dress Dawn and her mother had bought for her. She pulled it on and then brushed her teeth in the bathroom next door, brushed her hair through and stretched a little, wincing when her hip throbbed a little bit, though nothing to concern herself over.

She stepped out of the bathroom, wondering how Severus felt about last night. Had he enjoyed it? Did he regret it? She hoped not. She certainly didn't. She knew they could never be open about the relationship they had, but it warmed her heart to know he cared about her and loved her in a way. Even if in secret.

She glanced out the window to see it was pouring yet again in Spinner's End. Sighing, she moved to go down the stairs, stopping when she saw Wormtail have the door slam in his face rapidly, and then slumping away with a scowl on his face, obvious irritated at whatever he wasn't being included in.

Lilia frowned, wondering what was going on, so she quietly and carefully moved down to the main floor to stand near the door, hearing hushed voices on the other side.

"I know I oughtn't to be here. The Dark Lord himself forbade me to speak of this," a woman said.

"If the Dark Lord had forbidden it, you're not to speak. Put it down Bella, we mustn't touch what isn't ours," Severus said from the other side in a slightly irritated tone, as though speaking to a child.

Bella? Who was Bella? Was it the woman talking? Or were there two women in the sitting room with Snape? And why were they talking about he who must not be named, referring to him as the Dark Lord. Only Death Eaters did that, didn't they?

There was a slight thunk, obviously this Bella woman putting back whatever she had touched.

"As it so happens, I'm aware of your situation, Narcissa" Snape continued calmly.

Narcissa. The name sounded familiar to Lilia. Malfoy's mother. Of course. But who was the Bella woman then?

"You? The Dark Lord told you?" another voice asked. No doubt belonging to this Bella woman.

"Your sister doubts me," Snape said almost mockingly from the other side of the door.

It was then that Lilia's blood turned to ice in her veins. Narcissa Malfoy's sister was Bella. It couldn't be her, could it? Bellatrix Lestrange? What the bloody hell was a Death Eater doing, conversing with Snape?

"Understandable, over the years I've played my part well, so well I've deceived one of the greatest wizards of all time," Snape said calmly, almost proudly.

Death Eater. The word kept screaming itself in Lilia's head when she heard Snape speak in that tone, making her open her mouth in shock, reaching up to cover it, hoping she didn't let out a strangle sob or something that might give away that she was eavesdropping on this seemingly private conversation. He was a Death Eater. His loyalties lye with Voldemort himself. No wonder Bellatrix had come in person to his home, along with the Malfoy's wife.

There was a mocking snoring sound coming from one of the women, no doubt from Bellatrix.

"Dumbledore is a great wizard, and only a fool would question it" Snape reprimanded Bellatrix on the other side of the door in a deep, serious voice.

"I don't doubt you, Severus," Narcissa said.

"You should be honoured, Cissy. As should Draco," Bellatrix remarked matter of factly.

"He's just a boy…" Narcissa said after a moment of quiet.

"I can't change the Dark Lord's mind," Snape said finally. "But it might be possible for me to help Draco," he added after a moment.

There was a sound of someone getting up.

"Severus…" Narcissa whispered in relief.

"Swear to it," Bellatrix said suddenly.

There was a moment of tense silence while Lilia listened when Bellatrix expanded on her idea. "Make the unbreakable vow," she said. She sighed. "It's just empty words," she whispered, "Hell give it his best effort. When it matters most, he'll just slither back into his hole," Bellatrix murmured mockingly. When there was no response, she moved past. "Coward," she said almost sing songily.

Lilia felt like she might throw up at the revelation of where Severus's allegiances lye. He was a Death Eater, and clearly a well respected one if Bellatrix showed surprise that Severus knew something she did as well. He wasn't who Lilia had expected, and she wasn't too sure if she could trust him if he was tied to someone as wicked as Voldemort himself. She only hoped he would not drag himself into more filth by vowing to protect someone like Malfoy ,who from what it sounded like, was on his way to joining the dark forces of the Death Eaters as well. Her hopes were smothered when Snape spoke again.

"Take out your wand," he ordered.

Lilia shut her eyes, feeling helpless now more than ever. Snape had hidden something enormous from her. Something she felt she should have known before he'd joined her in bed last night and allowed her to fully open herself to him, without really knowing who he was. By not telling her, he'd willingly hidden this part of himself and in essence lied to her. Did Dumbledore know about this? As much as Lilia wasn't fond of the old man, she felt he ought to know something as astounding as Snape's true allegiance.

After a moment, Bellatrix's hushed voice could be heard speaking again. "Will you, Severus Snape, watch over Draco Malfoy as he attempts to fulfill the Dark Lord's wishes?"

A moment of quiet, then Snape spoke. "I will," he said calmly.

"And will you, to the best of your ability, protect him from harm?" Bellatrix asked.

"I will," he replied, again with that smooth, calm voice.

"And, if Draco should fail, will you yourself, carry out the deed the Dark Lord has ordered Draco to perform?" she whispered.

Lilia felt her eyes well up, hoping more than anything he would say no, that it was not his concern to carry out the orders of his alleged master, no matter what happened to Draco as a result. But he accepted.

"I will…" he finally said, binding the vow to himself and Narcissa.

Lilia's heart ached at the thought and she shut her eyes, leaning back against the wall, feeling weak in the knees. No doubt, Voldemort would be cruel and order Draco to kill Potter, and Draco being the spoiled rich boy he was, would be too chicken to do so and so Snape would take the blame and danger, doing it himself. The thought was absolutely horrifying to Lilia. How many secrets and how much darkness surrounded the man she thought she knew well enough? Clearly, several.

She got up eventually when she had heard enough, climbing up the stairs with heavy feet and a heavy heart, finally going into the bedroom, sitting on the edge of the bed and then slid off and onto the floor, sitting silently, brooding over this new set of information.

Eventually, she heard Narcissa Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange leave Severus's home. After some time, she finally heard Severus ascending the stairs, no doubt wondering why she was still asleep, and not up yet.

He entered the bedroom and frowned, looking at the empty and unmade bed, then down at her seated next to the bed, her gaze distant. "What are you doing on the floor?" he asked her bluntly, crossing his arms with a frown on his face.

She looked up at him quietly. "Death Eater…" she said quietly. Not using it as a derogatory term, just saying the words out loud. "Why did you not tell me you're one of them?" she asked him without hesitation.

His gaze turned cold very fast at the accusation, his frown only deepening. "What are you talking about?" he asked.

She looked at him helplessly. "Severus… I overheard everything that you, Bellatrix and Narcissa talked about. You can't deny it. You're a Death Eater… what I can't understand is why you never told me. I think I deserve to know that sort of thing," she said, her voice rising slightly in pitch. "I slept with you, I kissed you, and then I found out you're about as wicked and vile as they come," she said, on the verge of hysteria all of a sudden.

He closed the distance between them and put a hand over her mouth, glaring at her furiously. "You will not speak of the things that have transpired between us," he said angrily. "As for the accusations you so thoughtlessly send at me, I am not merely a Death Eater," he said firmly. He glanced back at the door, standing and shut it, then cast a charm wordlessly to refrain from anyone overhearing their conversation somehow. "I work for Dumbledore first and foremost, pretending to be on Voldemort's side," he said in a hushed tone.

She looked at him in confusion.

He frowned, rolling his eyes in frustration at her lack of understanding, though he supposed he couldn't blame the girl, really.

"I was once one of Voldemort's most trusted Death Eaters. I still am, but my allegiances ended with him truly a long time ago," he said calmly, looking at her as he leaned against the wall, his arms crossed. "Since certain events transpired, my allegiances turned to only those of Dumbledore. By his request I remain as a spy on Voldemort's side, merely pretending to be his servant until the time comes when my false role is no longer needed," he told her, looking at her. "Do you understand now?" he asked.

She looked at him and then nodded, looking away. "But… what events would cause you to shift your ties to someone of the other side entirely?" she asked.

He frowned. "That is none of your concern," he said quickly.

She looked at him for a moment, but saw he would not tell her anytime soon, so she dropped it, looking down. "So… you're not a wicked man, then?" she asked. "I can trust you still?"

It hurt him a little to hear those words. Lilia had almost lose her trust in him because of something she had not been meant to overhear. It took him back to when Lily had lost her trust in him because of a word he hadn't WANTED her to hear, but he'd used out of sheer stupidity, directed at her unfortunately. He simply nodded though, his gaze, although cold, assuring her he could still be trusted by her.

Even though she was only going by his word and nothing else, she wanted to trust him still. She cared for him and longed for him far too deeply to let this come between them. She stood, nodding back and then looked away, a soft sight of relief escaping her. "Alright… then I trust you still, Severus."

He nodded, looking at her and then moved up from the door, sighing. "I'll prepare something to eat," he said, turning away from her.

She sighed, watching him go and then groaned, laying her head on the top of the bed, closing her eyes, wishing she had never overheard that conversation. She felt so torn. On the one hand Severus said he was a servant of the Dark Lord. Then he told her he was a double agent of sorts for Dumbledore. But it could very easily still be the other way around because Snape was so skilled at Occlumency. He could hide his true intentions easily from both sides. From her… and she would never know. The thought was painful, and she wondered what strain it would put on them both, but for th time being she supposed she had no choice but to still trust him. Because she wanted to. She really did.

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(( Alrighty, so there you have it. Lilia learns another little secret about her… lover? XD I dunno how to refer to Snape lol, he isn't the type to call a boyfriend O_o So I suppose lover will have to suffice until they come up with a new word for this odd little relationship? Anyways, pardon my earlier rant, but ignorant reviews or messages like that do get on my nerves because people think they can skip over 20 entire chapters and know the entire story, when really they don't. I don't care if it's a negative review. If you don't like the story, hey, that's your opinion, I'm not forcing anyone to read this stuff that spews from my mind on a daily basis, however, I DO mind when I get reviews that think they know the world and my story inside out without really reading it or seeing the reality in things. Ignorance is very irritating, so pardon me if I seemed pissed off xD I was a little, especially about the abused kids always acting out part, quite frankly that pissed me the hell off, because not EVERY child acts like a brat when abused. So there, O_o A rant as well as another chapter _ I hope it was okay, and I hope my rant didn't make me lose some readers Oh that would be unfortunate LOL oh well, what happens happens I suppose :P Toodleoo ))


	33. Empty Streets

(( Alrighty! So there were defs some mixed reviews going on over the last few chapters :S I understand Snape is WAY older than Lilia, and some people are displaying concern over pedophilia. For the millionth time this isn't some sick pedophilic story about a teacher who takes advantage of his student. In my opinion, it's a story about a man who falls for a girl even though he still loves someone from the past, regardless of the age difference and the strains that make it difficult for them to become close. To be quite honest, that was probably my least favourite chapter to write simply because it WAS an odd scene to envision. I also pretty much expected people would jump to the "he's a pedo!" boat -_- I am very glad though that those of you who have actually read the entire story through and through know Snape is not a pedo in this tale, he is merely a man who fell for someone much younger than him most unexpectedly. Sometimes love comes in the most surprising of ways, after all. Well what's done is done, so anyways, moving on! Chapter 33. Enjoy.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the affiliated works. If I did, well… I dunno, I suppose I would be ridiculously rich and laughing on top of a giant pile of money, at all the negative reviews rather than ranting over them all here at my laptop xD (Which I secretly enjoy doing especially to those nasty ignoramus ones ;) ))

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"Lilia!" Dawn cried out, running over to her and throwing her arms around her. She pulled away and grinned at her. "Wow! I really like your bangs," she said, reaching up and brushing them a little out of Lilia's eyes. "I think you should keep growing them out a bit," she complimented.

Lilia reached up and touched her bangs which had grown out a little to be swept slightly to the side. She had decided it was annoying to trim them all the time, so she had let them grow out a little to be swept to the side.

Sighing, she moved to follow Dawn into one of the few still open shops in Diagon Alley, in order to purchase the few books required for their fifth year. Looking into some of the shops while she passed, she saw how dreadful the alley itself had become. It looked like those who'd once owned the shops lining the alley had just up and vanished entirely. No doubt in fear of the return of Voldemort.

The thought of Voldemort led Lilia to wonder what would become of Snape. Would he end up injured terribly? Would he abandon her when the time called for it? The thoughts frightened her but she supposed there really was nothing she could do about them for the time being except stay quiet and not burden Severus with pointless worries hat may or may not really go anywhere.

Lilia then turned her attention back to her friend who was going on about something which she'd missed entirely.

Dawn turned and looked up at her, her gaze expectant, clearly awaiting an answer.

Lilia swallowed and cleared her throat, looking at Dawn quietly.

Dawn sighed. "You haven't heard a single word I've said, have you?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips.

Lilia sucked her lips into her mouth awkwardly and shook her head.

Dawn chuckled. "Well, at least you're honest about it," she said. "What's been on your mind? You've had this blank stare since I saw you out there," she said with a slight frown.

How on earth could she tell Dawn? That she was staying with Professor Snape, sortof being involved with him, then finding out he was a Death Eater but was also a double agent for Dumbledore? It was so much she thought she might explode at times. She looked at Dawn and then offered a slight smile. "Nothing, I'm just still surprised I'm free to live the way I want to," she said.

"Oh ya! How is that going for you, by the way?" Dawn asked, moving to get a book down from one of the higher shelves, passing Lilia a copy while she cradled the other in her own arm, moving to another section of the small shop.

"It's alright," Lilia said. "I'm still trying to get used to it. It's a pretty… big change," she nodded.

"I'll bet. Must be nice not to get smacked around all day," she agreed.

Lilia smiled weakly, nodding and got one of the books she needed for herself, knowing Dawn wasn't taking that elective.

"Sorry, that was inappropriate," Dawn said quickly, putting a hand on Lilia's upper arm.

She shook her head and shrugged her hand off, moving away. "It's fine. Don't mention it," she assured her, reaching for another book they both needed, handing the other copy to Dawn and looked at her. "So, how has your summer been going since we last wrote?" she asked.

"Ah ah, mine is as it always was every year, boring and annoying thanks to Felix. I want to hear about your summer. It must have been really different from what you're used to. I want to hear about it," she said, looking at her friend as they moved to purchase the few books they needed, then left the almost empty shop.

"Well, it's been really rainy on my end. Almost every day," she said.

"Eugh, that must stink," she said, looking at Lilia as they walked down the mostly empty alley street.

Lilia shrugged. "I don't mind. It's nice being able to at least be able to see out the window each morning," she smirked.

Dawn glanced pitifully at her friend.

"Don't give me that look," Lilia chided softly without even looking.

Dawn grinned at that. "No idea what you're talking about," she said.

Lilia had to smile a little at that.

"So, you still can't tell me where you've been staying?" she asked.

Lilia sighed, looking at her friend endearingly. "If I give you a hint will you stop asking?" she laughed.

Dawn thought about it but then nodded, looking at her.

Lilia sighed and nodded. "It rains a lot there," she said.

Dawn paused. "What? That's not fair!" she laughed, making Lilia grin widely.

"Alright, alright," she sighed. "I've been staying with him," she said finally.

Dawn blinked. "Who?" She frowned, wondering what Lilia meant when it clicked. She gasped. "You've been living with your secret lover?" she squealed, grinning from ear to ear.

Lilia sighed. "We're not lovers," she said half heartedly. Sometimes Lilia wondered what on earth they were.

Dawn looked at her friend sceptically. "Mhmm, soooo?" she giggled, nudging her friend teasingly, waggling her eyebrows. "Have you?" she asked.

Lilia looked at her and frowned. "Have I what?" she asked.

"Done the deed?" Dawn smirked devilishly.

Lilia nearly choked on the air itself. "What?" she gasped.

Dawn sighed. "Geeze, you're living with the poor boy and not doing anything?" she asked.

Lilia looked at Dawn wide eyed. "I don't see how that topic is any business of yours!" Lilia gaped.

Dawn cackled, moving further down the thin street. "I'm your best friend! I think I'm entitled to know when my best friend goes to bed for the first time with someone," she said, looking back at Lilia with a smirk.

Lilia crossed her arms and glowered at Dawn, feeling extremely exposed suddenly, not liking the feeling at all, even if Dawn was only joking. "Really. So how come you didn't tell me when you first did it?" she asked.

Dawn snorted. "Because I haven't?" she said.

Lilia looked at Dawn in surprise. "You haven't?" she asked.

"No," she laughed. "Are you really so surprised?" she asked.

Lilia swallowed, nodding. "Yea, I suppose so," she said, resuming her walk, her legs suddenly feeling like lead. She'd actually gone ahead and had sex before Dawn Pyrites? That was more than a shocker, it was out right stunning on many levels. Dawn was so pretty and just seemed so open and… flirtatious in Lilia's opinion. She had just merely assumed Dawn had a boyfriend somewhere and had done things like that with him already.

Dawn shrugged. "I dunno, I just don't feel like it," she said calmly, a light smirk playing on her lips. "Not ready, I suppose. Either that or I scare off all the good looking boys," she laughed.

Lilia had to smile. She could see how that was possible. Sighing, she moved to catch up to Dawn up the street and looked at her. "Change of topic. I'm hungry, want to get something to eat before we finish our school shopping?" she asked.

Dawn nodded. "Goodness, I'm starved!" she said, clutching her stomach. "Swear, my stomach has a mind entirely it's own these last few days. All it does is growl at me and demand sustenance," she laughed.

Lilia smiled faintly ,following Dawn further down the gloomy street to find somewhere they could stop to eat a little something for a few minutes.

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(( Oh my god X_X Okay, I KNOW it's a short chapter. But in my defence I got like hot flashes and was sent home early from work cause of the bloody heat today xD Omigod, I literally think I'm melting slowly *slurps my Slurpee greedily* xD Anyways, please forgive me for the shorter chapter today L It's just super super hot and I can't bring myself to sit here with this overheating laptop for another minute in this ungodly heat xD I shall begin chapter 34 tonight so I can have it up and ready for you all tomorrow as usual J Anywho, if anyone else is living in Ontario and suffering from the heat… well… now you know why I'm not sticking around to continue this chapter xD What I had in mind can wait till tomorrow *face palm and then runs off in search of a free fan* xD ))


	34. A Name on a Map

(( Alrighty, SO it is way more bearable as far as heat goes today than it was yesterday xDD SO Sorry about how dead the last chapter seemed in comparison to the usual ones I dish out xD So un-dramatic, everyone must have been like "oh come ON!" xD BUT Alas, I did have ideas for it, I was just way too overheated to continue it so I'll resume it here :P It was such a dramatic moment too! XD I just didn't have the tolerance to sit here for a few hours and write it in lmao :P Any who! Enjoy :D This will just continue on from the previous chapter xD Hope you all don't mind :D ENJOY :D

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the related or affiliated works. If I did, I would be rich as a king and blowing all that money on… more books of course ;) Screw clothes mom -w- I can walk around naked and read, 'tis all good 3 ))

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Lilia stepped into the colourful shop, looking around quizzically. Dawn had outright refused to go into the Weasley's store, but Lilia had been curious the moment she saw it, as to why it could outlive the other stores and still retain such a boastful crowd within its walls.

It felt bizarre, willingly entering into a place filled by so many colourful things and loud, cheerfully laughing people. Not the place Lilia was used to, that was for sure.

Not a moment after she'd stepped into the store, did she hear them.

"Step up! Step up! We've got fainting fancies."

"Nose bleed nougats!"

"And just in time for school," one began.

"Puking pastels!" the other pointed out rather proudly.

Lilia wrinkled her nose. Puking Pastels… how delightful.

That was when they turned and looked to see her, one smiling in delight to see her and the other seeming to recognize her also.

Hopping down from their post, they approached her.

"Why hello there young miss," one said, putting an arm around her shoulder.

"See anything you like?" the other asked, snatching a box of something off the shelves, pointing it out to her with a flourish of his hand and a smile.

Lilia shook her head. "Er… just browsing actually…" she said.

"One moment," Fred… or George said, the two walking over to a young boy.

"Into the cauldron handsome," they both said in their funny way, holding a cauldron out to the sick looking boy.

Lilia narrowed her eyes, wondering what he'd eaten, but was distracted by something behind her, moving to the window to see it better. She glanced out, seeing Dawn gesturing for her to hurry up so she made a motion that she would be only a few more minutes.

When she turned around, it seemed they were both busy so she calmly resumed her little look around the store, even checking out the Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder for a moment when she passed.

She felt a tap on her shoulder and looked up to see a tall brown hair boy with blue eyes. It took her a moment to recognize him. "Quinn," Lilia said calmly.

He smiled at her. "How have you been, Lily?"

She felt ice in her stomach though she didn't actually know why. "Lilia," she corrected, moving away from him.

He sighed. "Right, right. I'll stop using the nickname."

She glanced back up at him. "What do you want?"

He chuckled. "I just noticed you in here. Was rather surprised to notice you skulking around the shop. Not your sort of place, I would have thought," he said.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "So? Maybe I wanted to look around," she snapped.

He raised his hands in defence. "Fair enough. So how has your summer gone?" he asked.

She frowned. "Fine, yours?"

"Good, good," he smirked, putting his hands behind his head and stepping past her. "Come on, the twins asked me to send you upstairs to their office," he chuckled.

She glowered at him. "They didn't."

"They did," he said, looking out to find them. "They said they wanted to talk to you just for a moment, so I should escort you up to the office," he said.

She frowned, crossing her arms. "Why would they ask a random bloke like yourself?"

He looked at her and then grinned. "Because I work here," he pointed out.

That was when Lilia notice the outfit he wore. Not typical to a student shopping for school supplies, she thought. Sighing, she reluctantly followed him up the stairs, reaching the top floor and entering through a door where she stood. She looked back at Quinn with a sour expression.

He chuckled. "You aren't in trouble. I don't think so, at least," he grinned. "I'll go let the twins know you're up here," he said, closing the door behind him and disappeared to find the owners of the shop.

Lilia stood in the office silently, not moving to take a seat, having not been invited to so she wouldn't. She looked around at all the paperwork, and noted how normal the office space seemed in comparison to the colourful shop and the boisterous personalities of the Weasley twins. Well, she figured since they spent all their time out on the floor selling items, it was no wonder the office wasn't more suited to their tastes. They just never bothered with it.

She turned and looked when she heard the door open behind her after a few minutes and saw the Weasley Twins step in.

"Ah! Hello again," one of them said with a cheerful grin.

"How have you been, young lady?" the other asked.

She shrugged. "Fine, I suppose. Quinn said you wanted to talk to me?"

They nodded. "Yea. See, the thing is, we want to sort of… give you a heads up."

She frowned. "With what?"

"Snape," they said together.

She felt her stomach drop. "What about Professor Snape?"

One of the two sighed.

"We know you and Professor Snape are… close," one of them said.

She nearly vomited right there. "What are you talking about?"

Sighing, one of the two scratched his head. "We knew who you were when we first met you. Well… we knew who you were in a general sense when you introduced yourself, to be exact,"

"Yea, you see, we used to have this thing, called the Maurauder's Map," one of them explained.

"The More-a-what map?"

They chuckled.

"Maurauder's Map. It shows the names if everyone within the school of Hogwarts. Let's us know where everyone is, especially the professors."

"It's how we managed to evade trouble for so long," one said with a cheeky grin.

Lilia raised a brow.

They shrugged. "We have to borrow it now, we gave it to Potter a while ago, but the fact is, we saw your name on it a LOT with Professor Snape's… after hours. It sort of… got us thinking. Maybe it's nothing, maybe it's something."

"Either way, it's none of our business."

"'Course not," one interrupted. "But, the thing is, there are lots of nasty things beginning to happen in the wizarding world. To be short and to the point about it, we think Professor Snape might be involved in them somehow."

Lilia wondered how pale her face must have looked at that moment. "Why do you think that?"

"Not think really, more like… assume," one clarified.

"Actually, we only assume because Harry says it so often," one chuckled.

Lilia glowered. "So you don't have any proof?"

"Nothing solid, but we have heard Snape used to be a Death Eater, so we wonder, of course."

Lilia nearly groaned in frustration.

"But that's besides the point you see, the thing is, you're just a student, and well… we think it best to warn you. You seem… distant, so maybe you don't realize some things around you," one said.

She glowered. "I'm not an idiot just because I choose not to talk to people," she said.

They nodded. "Not at all, but just for your safety. Especially when dealing with Professor Snape,"

"That, and George here kept talking about you for a few days straight afterwards," Fred joked.

George fake gasped. "Don't tell her!" he said with a grin.

The two chuckled. "Well, now you know. We just saw you and thought we may as well let you know," Fred said.

George nodded. "Anything for a cute girl," he teased.

Lilia rolled her eyes, crossing her arms, pretending not to think anything of being close to Snape, obviously knowing it would let on that there was something deeper going on than just a simple teacher and student relationship. That would have been real bad. "Is that all?" she asked sourly.

They nodded.

"Yea, I think that's it."

"Not quite," Fred said, producing a small bottle from his pocket and holding it out to her.

Pink, Lilia's least favourite color.

"What is it?"

"Love potion," George grinned along with Fred. "A bit of a token for bothering you," George said.

She looked at it and then sighed, putting it into her pocket. "Alright, well… thanks," she said, moving to the door. "Also, does this shop mean you two aren't coming back to Hogwarts this year?" she asked.

They grinned, shaking their head.

"No, our talents extend beyond that of academics," George said proudly.

"I think this store is much more suited to our ambitions in life than any wizarding school," Fred said with a large smile.

Lilia nodded. In a way, she supposed she would miss them and their odd antics around the school. Even if Gryffindors, they seemed alright in her opinion. Odd, but amusing and alright. With that, she turned and opened the door, stepping out.

"Come again!" they said together in their odd but friendly way as she escorted her down the stairs.

She nodded, going outside and walked over to Dawn.

"Merlin's beard, Lilia, What on earth took so long?" she asked.

Lilia pulled the bottle from her pocket and held it out to Dawn. "I was just looking around and then the shop owner's closed in on me and gave me this," she said, looking at the bottle.

"Ohh… pink," Dawn cooed, picking it up. "Cute bottle too. They have some good tastes it seems, those Weasley twins," Dawn giggled. "Maybe I should give the Gryffindors a chance after all," she sneered.

Lilia raised a brow as they resumed their walk. "I can't picture you with a Gryffindor even if your life depended on it," she said.

Dawn snorted. "Me neither. Anyways, are you finished then?" she asked.

Lilia nodded.

"Good, want to come over to my place for a few hours before you go home?" she asked.

Lilia shrugged. "Sure, it wil be nice to see your family again," she smiled faintly, having missed the Pyrites family greatly over the summer. They looked like such an ideal family, odd quirks included and Lilia found she cherished them greatly. It would be nice to see them again.

"Mom's been going on and on about your cooking," Dawn grinned. "You should make us dinner again," she grinned.

"I thought I was a guest," Lilia grinned.

Dawn cackled. "Not anymore," she smirked. "You're officially inducted into the Pyrites family by me, as of this moment. So, as my new step sister you're making us dinner," she said.

Lilia rolled her eyes but had to smile, feeling a bit good about Dawn's inclusion into her family, even if jokingly. It improved her mood a bit since the conversation with the Weasley twins.

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(( Woot! Weasley twins came BACK xD And yes, I am aware Harry got the Maurauder's Map in year three, when Lilia was in year two, hence before the story begun HOWEVER I did make the twins say they BORROW it… well… not anymore now that they have work xD But in their years there after they gave it to them, I would assume they still borrow it to avoid teachers from time to time if up to something :P Like the fireworks show in year 5 for Harry xD Anyway! Please review and lemme know what you think of that dramatic chapter :O DUN DUN DUNNN lol :P ))


	35. Heartbreaking News

(( Awesome! So everyone keeps asking me about what I'm gonna do with that love potion ;) To be honest… I threw it in randomly for that chapter BUT I suppose I can see if there's a way I can incorporate it to thicken the plot *rubs hands together eagerly* xD Anyways! I'm very happy people really enjoyed the last chapter :D I had fun writing for the twins again. They're always such amusing individuals to include ;) Haha, anyways! Enjoy chapter 35 :D

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the affiliated works. If I did, I would have met Mr. Rickman who plays him splendidly in the films and demanded to have a private meeting with him… to ensure they got every… tiny… miniscule… detail right… of course… *drool* LOL ))

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Lilia set her books down upon the side table next to her bed, looking at the rather small stack in comparison to previous years. She pulled out the potions textbook , Asiatic Anti-Venoms, and flipped through it quietly, reading over the new term instructions and potions they would be learning. She scanned over some of the names f potions they would be learning and frowned, standing up and brining the book with her downstairs to Snape.

Knocking on the side of the kitchen door, she stepped in and approached Severus, looking up at him. "I was just wondering if you could explain what some of these potions are, exactly," she said and frowned. "I mean, I know they're anti-venoms, but why are you teaching just anti-venoms this year?" she asked.

"No idea. You'll have to ask your potions professor," he said coldly.

She frowned. "but you're the potions professor," she said.

"Not anymore," he said.

For a moment Lilia had a moment of horror and swallowed, hoping Severus didn't mean he was leaving Hogwarts to fully rejoin Voldemort's forces. But the fear was short lived.

"I've been appointed to the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts professor," he said and looked at her.

She looked somewhat stunned by this news and blinked. "When did you find out?" she asked.

"Some time ago," he replied, taking a sip from his drink that evening without looking at her.

She didn't know what to say to that for a moment, the news coming as a surprise to her, especially the part about him having known for some time and neglecting to mention it, though she supposed it didn't matter if she knew or not. She had known Snape wanted the position for some time and had been denied each and every time he applied for it, but now he had finally achieved his goal. "Congratulations," she said softly.

He glanced at her and nodded silently.

She looked up at him and her face saddened. He hadn't spoken to her in quite some time; not the way they had back in school. In the beginning she figured it was because he wasn't used to having a female around the house, but it had been nearly a month straight and still no change in attitude towards her. She had begun to doubt it was her own doing and perhaps he merely saw her as a bother now. Sometimes she doubted even that and wondered if having sex with her that one time had been something terrible in his opinion so he wanted her to get the hint and disappear. It hurt to think that way.

He seemed to notice something was troubling her and frowned. "What's wrong?"

She shrugged. "Nothing," she said, clutching the book in front of herself.

He narrowed his eyes, noticing this subconscious defensive movement. "You're a horrible liar, Miss. Gunner."

She looked up at him and swallowed. "You haven't called me that in weeks," she said.

He took another sip of his drink, all the while watching her with scrutinizing eyes. "We're heading back to school in a matter of days. It's time we got back into the habit of referring one another by the proper titles," he explained.

She sighed. "Yes but…"

He raised a brow. "But what?"

She felt saddened in a way, having to ask why it was going on in the first place. "You haven't talked to me at all for days at a time since we… well…" she shrugged, not wanting to say the word aloud in case someone overheard.

He glared at the mention of it.

She noticed.

"Are you disgusted by me?" she asked bluntly, her eyes pleading or him to tell her. "You haven't joined me for dinner since my birthday, you barely ever speak to me, even less than before I might add, and you never LOOK at me anymore," she said, her voice rising slightly in pitch.

He looked angered by these statements of hers and took a step towards her.

She moved back in time with him, her eyes welling up. "Are you disgusted with what I let you do to me?" she finally whispered.

He wanted to say no. He really did, but he was disgusted with himself in more ways than one. He felt ashamed of sleeping with her, and guilty for other reasons as well. He had just hoped the situation would disappear, but apparently Lilia would not let it.

He straightened his back and looked down at her. "Yes…" he answered finally.

Lilia felt like she might vomit.

He sighed. "However, that alone isn't the sole reason I've been avoiding you. It's time consuming doing what I need to do. Not only for Hogwarts but in order to keep the Dark Lord's trust in myself," he said firmly. "My time cannot be taken up solely to keep you happy."

"I never said for you to! I just…" she hesitated and looked down. "I wish you would just look at me or talk to me the way you did before at least…" she said. "I hate feeling like you just don't want me around here anymore. I hate feeling like I'm not good enough," she said.

He said nothing to that. Not wanting to lie, but deciding never to hurt her if it could be avoided. He merely stepped forward and put a hand upon her shoulder, tiling her head up and looked at her. "Stop worrying over things that are pointless to concern yourself over, you'll only stress the both of us out even more," he said.

She looked up at him and sniffled, reaching up to wipe her tears but was stopped when Snape did so before her.

His thumb moved gently under her eyes and wiped away those infuriating tears that he had caused. When he wiped them away, he firmly pressed his lips to her forehead and sighed, pulling away. "Go rest up before dinner. I'll join you tonight, I suppose," he said, looking at her.

She nodded, wiping away the corner of her eye and then turned, moving to go upstairs again, feeling like her heart was twice as heavy as usual. Snape hadn't told her she was good enough. He Hadn't told her that he did still want her around, which left her with doubts and confusion… and hurt. Somehow she just knew, there was more going on when it came to their relationship having hit a bit of a bump than him merely reprising his role as a Death Eater. She just knew there was more to it than that. And it hurt. It hurt very much that he wouldn't tell her what was going on.

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She looked up at him silently. "You didn't say I'm good enough," she said quietly during dinner, just her and Snape seated there, Wormtail sent down to the basement to eat alone like a lowly servant.

He looked at her and frowned. "What are you talking about?"

She put down her fork and sighed. "When I said I hate not feeling like I'm good enough, you didn't tell me that I am…"

He narrowed his eyes at her, sitting up straighter in his seat. "I didn't say you're not," he said firmly.

She looked at him. "I'm not good enough though. Am I?"

He remained silent.

She closed her eyes for a moment and then frowned, looking at him. "It's Lily, isn't it?"

He tensed.

She noticed. "Who is she?"

"No one you need to concern yourself with," he said firmly.

She bit the inside of her cheek. "I want to know," she pleaded.

"Stop it. You don't need to know."

"I do! I hate how anytime someone brings her up you go tense and shut yourself off!" she exclaimed suddenly. "I hate feeling like the only person who doesn't know who she is to you!"

He glared at her. "I loved her," he finally said angrily. "I loved her, but she never loved me the way I wanted her to. She married someone else and then was killed and I could do nothing to stop it," he said in a very cold tone. "Does that answer satisfy you?"

She fell silent, looking at him silently. "You still love her, don't you?"

He looked at her and then nodded faintly. "Yes… now, if that answer satisfies you, then excuse me while go and take a bit of time to relax before I go to bed," he said in an irritated tone, getting up and putting his things in the sink, storming away as he always did.

She watched him go, her chest aching fiercely inside her. He loved someone. Someone who wasn't her. Even if Lily was dead, whoever she was, she was so important to Snape that he still felt love for her… that was something Lilia couldn't compare to. And it crushed her. She wondered if Severus had even loved her at all if he already still loved another woman.

She sat for what seemed an eternity in the kitchen, finally getting up when it got very dark out. She put her things in the sink, washing them slowly and mechanically, then headed up to the bedroom, laying down on the bed and closed her eyes, finding the news she learned that evening so heartbreaking she didn't even know how to properly respond to it, only beginning to cry over it just before she fell asleep, knowing these were not tears Severus would want to have to see or deal with.

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(( Bum bum bummmm Chapter 35 L so sadddddd lol, BUT no relationship can ever be perfect right? L Unfortunately… ANYWHO! Please lemme know what you think of this chapter :D I love your reviews! ^^ Especially the ridiculously long ones LOL :P Anywho! Toodloo :D ))


	36. Conversation with the Headmaster

(( Hooray hooray for early morning uploads! :D And here we are with Chapter 36! :O My my, how far this fan fiction has gotten haha :D I'm glad people are enjoying it though ^^ Bahaha, I must say though, I feel accomplished :P The other day a friend of mine says she added my fan fic to her kobo ;) I feel honoured to have been kobo'd LOL!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the affiliated works. If I did, I assure you Snape would have had a massive groupie gathering following him down each corridor in Hogwarts ;) lol ))

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The food should have tasted amazing like it did every year, but alas, in her opinion it felt and tasted rather bland that night. They hadn't spoken since that slight argument in Spinner's End, Lilia and Snape. She would have continued her depressing thoughts if a certain red head hadn't come up to her with a grin.

"Hah, found you," Dawn chimed.

Lilia looked at her and nodded glumly, going back to picking at her food unenthusiastically.

Dawn noticed this and frowned. "What's wrong?"

Lilia shrugged and shook her head. "Nothing…"

Dawn frowned, reaching over and brushed back a few locks of her fine black hair. "Lilia, what's wrong?"

Lilia felt her eyes welling up and shook her head. "Nothing… I don't want to talk about it," she whispered.

"The very best of evenings to you all," Dumbledore said suddenly from his podium.

Dawn looked up at him and frowned, irritated by his very rude (if unknowing) interruption. She turned back to Lilia and put an arm around her, reaching up to gently wipe her tears away. "Lilia," she whispered. "What's wrong? You can tell me," she encouraged gently.

Lilia turned to look at her pitifully. "Not here…" she whispered.

Dawn looked at her and nodded, helping her up and walked with her to one of the nearby prefects.

"Lilia isn't feeling well right now. She really needs air. Can I accompany her outside to make sure she's alright?" Dawn asked with a firm enough voice to not be considered a push over by the upper year Slytherin.

The prefect took a look at her and then nodded. "Alright, but off to bed right after, alright?" he said strictly.

Dawn nodded, walking alongside Lilia towards the doors to the Great Hall just as Dumbledore continued his speech.

"First off, let me introduce the newest member of our staff, Horace Slughorn," Dumbledore said proudly, glancing over at his old friend.

Everyone clapped at the same time. Except Snape.

He frowned, watching as Lilia and Dawn left the hall, Lilia looking almost like she would be ill. He realized everyone was clapping and he looked at Slughorn, then began to clap, a frown settling in on his face deeper than usual. He didn't even know what was wrong, though he had an assumption seeing as they hadn't spoken for a few days now. The realization that he didn't really know what was bothering her so much made him very uncomfortable and irritated as he clapped.

"Professor Slughorn, I'm glad to say has agreed to resume his old post as potions master," Dumbledore continued, though neither Snape, who sat tenser than usual, Lilia or Dawn were really paying attention anymore.

Dawn walked outside with Lilia and looked at her, brushing her hair back and met her eyes seriously. "Lilia, what's wrong? I have never seen you cry, and quite frankly it's seriously freaking me out," she said, holding onto Lilia's arms and watching her best friend nervously.

Lilia met Dawn's eyes sadly and sighed shakily. "He… he loves someone else already…" she whimpered. "I know it's stupid, but I never ever thought he would, and it hurts because… the way he acts… now especially… I just feel like I can't compete with this other woman," she said.

Dawn looked at Lilia wide eyed. "What an arse!" she exclaimed, clearly furious that some boy, in her mind, would do something of the sort to someone as precious to her as Lilia. "I'll kill him, you have to tell me who it is now," she insisted.

Lilia shook her head. "No… you don't understand, it's more than just him having feelings for someone else," she whimpered. "The woman is dead as far as I know, but it… its like he's stuck, like he won't ever get over her," she whispered. "And it kills me because I hate myself for… for thinking I was really so important to him."

Dawn frowned. "Wait… this chick is dead?" she asked.

Lilia nodded. "I know… it seems stupid to worry about some other woman when she isn't even alive, and even if she was, he mentioned that she didn't even love him in the way he did her… but… I just feel like he's always been comparing me to her, and that I'm not good enough. And I feel like I never will be," she whispered.

Dawn looked at Lilia quietly and cupped her face, steadying her and looked at her very seriously. "Then you need to make him forget about that woman and make him realize you're far better than she could ever be. Because not only do you actually want to be with this mystery boy, you're actually alive," she smirked.

Lilia looked at her friend and sniffled, reaching up to wipe her eyes. "Yea…?"

Dawn nodded. "Yea. I mean heck, I've got one point already that makes you better than her, and I don't even know this girly" she smiled.

Lilia looked at her, waiting for her to continue.

Dawn grinned. "You don't feel like ice when he wants to have sex," she pointed out.

Lilia glowered at her and smacked her upside the head, earning a hysterical laugh from Dawn.

"Oh come on! It was funny!" she exclaimed in defence.

Lilia huffed, looking at Dawn.

Dawn stared back and then made a face, which made Lilia smile against her better will.

"Come on, let's get some sleep, it's late," she said. "Tomorrow, see if you can't talk some sense into that boy of yours," she smirked. "If you can't just come and get me, and I'll be more than glad to publicly castrate him with my foot," she said with an angelic smile.

Lilia almost laughed, following Dawn inside and to the Slytherin common room for the night, hoping some sleep would do her a bit of good.

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"Curious. Exactly what were your intentions when you told her about Lily?" he asked.

Severus glared at Dumbledore at the way he worded his question, refusing to answer it.

Dumbledore sighed. "I think, all you can do is apologize. If she still chooses to trust you, then she will take your apology and forget your rather… difficult ouburst. If not, well… I suppose you will have to work even harder to win her back again," he said.

"Win her back?" he asked and narrowed his eyes. "Lilia is no trophy that I intend to win. She's a human being," he said with an obviously irritated tone.

Dumbledore curiously looked at Severus over his half moon spectacles. "Tell me, Severus. Do you love her?"

Severus fell quiet and frowned, not comfortable answering the question.

Dumbledore patiently laced his fingers together, calmly awaiting his response to the question.

"Yes," he finally said.

Dumbledore raised a brow. "And you still love Lily, or rather her memory… at the same time…"

"Clearly," he muttered, obviously irritated with these pointless questions.

Dumbledore sighed and stood from his desk, looking at Severus. "You understand the seriousness of what you're asking me to do," he said calmly.

Severus nodded curtly. "Indeed…" he said.

Dumbledore nodded. "Very well," he said. "I'll speak to the girl," he said. "However, just because I tell her what she needs to know, does not guarantee that she will return entirely the same to you. What she knows up until now is a painful truth for anyone to have to know, even if you didn't reject her entirely," he said. "You must understand that," he said.

Severus nodded again. "Understood, headmaster."

"Very good," Dumbledore smiled slightly. "I will have her sent here first thing tomorrow after classes," he said.

Severus bowed and excused himself from the headmaster's office, feeling somewhat relieved. Lilia would be told a little more detail about the situation between them. He couldn't bring himself to talk to her at all let alone over this over the last week of classes since they'd begun, so he asked Dumbledore to merely explain to her what was what, hoping that she might forgive him for his brash outburst a little over a week ago and move on from the unfair news she now had learned about him.

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Lilia looked up at the imposing statue that stood before Dumbledore's office. She swallowed, wondering what she had been sent here for, stepping forward and uttering the password to get up to his office.

The staircase began to swirl up to the door hidden up a little higher in the tower, and she stepped up to the door, opening it quietly, looking around curiously. Her eyes settled on the sorting hat which she remembered being placed atop her head four years before. She had felt no thrill when placed into Slytherin. No excitement or relief either. The house she was put it hadn't mattered to her. She merely felt curiosity as to why her, a muggle born witch, would end up in Slytherin, a house practically teeming with pure blood witches and wizards. Like the Malfoy boy. The thought of him made her shudder softly.

"Cold, Miss. Gunner?" came a familiar voice behind her.

Lilia jumped slightly and spun around, looking up at the old face of her headmaster. "Er… no sir, sorry sir," she said.

Dumbledore chuckled softly. "No need to apologize, dear girl," he said and moved to stand near his desk, running a hand over the edge of it gently. "How was your first week of classes?" Dumbledore asked.

She blinked, looking to the side uncertainly and frowned a little. "Uh, fine sir. Slughorn seems to make for an interesting potions professor," she said.

Dumbledore nodded. "Marvellous man, that Slughorn," he said and looked at her. "How have you been settling in with Professor Snape at his abode during the summer? Has he been making appropriate accommodations for you?" he asked.

She shrugged. "I suppose so," she said.

He raised a brow. "You suppose so?"

She looked at him and reached up, brushing back some hair and sighed. "It's… not a living situation I'm used to," she said. "It isn't everyday a student is sent to live with their professor," she said.

Dumbledore nodded and chuckled. "I suppose the situation is just that much more odd when it is with Severus, correct? The man isn't known to be very open or conversational," he said with a mildly amused expression.

She nodded, looking down.

Dumbledore sighed. "I suppose you're wondering why I called you in here?"

She looked up at him and nodded quietly.

Dumbledore sighed. "It's actually in regards to Severus," he said, looking at the girl. Her lack of response urged him to continue. "Specifically, what he said to you about Lily Potter," he said.

Potter.

Lilia frowned and looked at Dumbledore. "Lily Potter? You mean she…"

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes. The Lily Potter, Severus spoke to you of, was none other than Harry Potter's mother."

"But Severus hates Harry," she blurted.

Dumbledore chuckled. "That would be because Harry is the spitting image of his father… the very man Lily fell in love and married instead of Severus. Don't you agree that would lead you to hate a child if you were in Severus' place?" he asked.

She looked at him silently and then shrugged. "I suppose so…" she said. "But, what does that have to do with me?" she asked.

Dumbledore thought about how to phrase it so she didn't get the wrong idea. "Harry is the spitting image of his father, James, except for his eyes. They're green, like Lily's."

She looked at him and felt a chill go through her spine. "My eyes are green…"

Dumbledore nodded. "However, before you worry that you're eye color and name being similar to Lily's is something Snape uses to compare you to her… you must realize you are sorely mistaken," he said gently. "Severus never meant for you to feel that way. You see, what drew him to you, so he says, is nothing that made you similar to Lily. It was what made you different from her. You were quiet and deadened inside, someone so different from those he was used to, which drew him to you in the very beginning when he first saw you," he explained. "Lily was nothing like that. You see… even though in Severus' case when it comes to Lily Potter, opposites attract… but in your and Severus's case… similars stay together," he said with a reassuring gaze.

Lilia felt her heart warm at the thought. She only hoped she wouldn't start blushing in the presence of her headmaster. She was just confused as to why Dumbledore was saying all these things to her.

Dumbledore nodded and then continued. "Severus himself is confused by the attraction he feels for you. However, to delve very deep into that would be overstepping what he asked me to tell you," he explained.

"To tell me," Lilia said and glared. "Why can't he tell me himself if it's so important he has to come to you?" she asked.

Dumbledore inspected her curiously. "As you must have noticed by now, Miss. Gunner, is that Severus is extremely unaccustomed to showing remorse or guilt, affection or love. He is by far one of the most introverted individuals I've met outside yourself," he chuckled softly. "You see, to come to you and sit you down and tell you everything he feels right now and has felt up to this point would be something he is very much not used to, Miss. Gunner. And, because he requested my assistance with this small task, I agreed," he explained. "However, the similarities and the feelings Severus has for you and Lily are not the only reason he has reacted the way he did towards you over the last little while," he said.

Lilia looked at him silently, wondering what else he would tell her.

"As you know now, Severus was once and now has resumed his role as a Death Eater to Lord Voldemort," he said.

To this, Lilia nodded. "Yes, of course," she said.

He nodded. "Now, this is not news that needs to be shared with anyone outside the room, understood?" he asked.

She nodded firmly, having never held any intentions of revealing Severus' role to anyone.

Dumbledore seemed satisfied and continued. "You see… Severus is not a real Death Eater. At least… not in the sense that Voldemort believes him to be. His allegiances rely solely with Hogwarts. With me," he said. "Do you know what would lead him to switch sides?" he asked her.

She thought about it for a moment and then registered everything. "Voldemort killed Potter's mother… Lily Potter… Snape loved her… and Voldemort killed her so he rejected his faith to the Dark Lord, didn't he?" she asked.

Dumbledore nodded once. "Very good. Yes, that is the case."

She sighed. "Alright, but… why are you telling me all these things?" she asked.

"Because from what I hear, you were concerned that Severus no longer looked at you or spoke to you any longer because you were not wanted anymore. You must realise that to pretend to be only a professor to you, and a Death Eater in the fullest to Voldemort is a highly stressful exterior to maintain," he said calmly. "One that overpowers the need to show affection to you when it might only weaken Severus' resolve and focus on the tas he had been given.

Lilia looked at him and nodded, feeling her ears burning at the mention of having to pretend Severus was nothing but a professor to her. The realization that Dumbledore knew THAT much about them made her feel very odd in front of her headmaster. "Nothing gets by you, does it..?" she asked quietly.

Dumbledore chuckled. "No, my dear girl, I'm afraid as the headmaster of Hogwarts, I have to be fully aware of everything that happens within the school walls, even if not entirely important to the rest of the student body," he said. "However, there is more to Severus's stress than merely pretending to have his allegiance lie solely with Lord Voldemort. You see… Severus has made the Unbreakable Vow to protect Draco and do whatever task he has been given if he cannot carry it out." He was silent for a moment and then sighed. "There is no doubt in my mind that Lord Voldemort will seek to have Draco kill me somehow… and Severus knows that if this is the case, he may himself have to carry out the deed in order to fulfill the vow he made," he explained.

She swallowed, realizing the gravity of the situation Severus was in, suddenly feeling like a spoiled brat for having reacted the way she did to him at his home.

"So you understand everything so far, then?" Dumbledore asked.

She nodded. "Alright… so Severus isn't mad at me or sick of me… he's only stressed and feeling pressured… and… he doesn't compare me to Lily Potter either…" she said, looking at Dumbledore, wanting to make sure she got everything so far.

He nodded, encouraging her to continue.

"So… you're saying I should forget what he said and go back to the way things were before?" she asked.

Dumbledore shrugged. "That decision is entirely up to you, Miss. Gunner. You must realize that it will be difficult from now on for the two of you, and it will be difficult for Severus to convey properly to you how important I believe you are to him, but, as for deciding if you will remain with him, well… that is your choice, not mine to make," he said calmly.

She looked at him and nodded. "Alright… I'll think about it," she said. "I can certainly say I'm not feeling ready to go running into his arms, that's for sure," she said, slightly irritated and still rather hurt by the thought of Lily Potter being the one who had taken and still held Severus's heart.

"Do you love him?" Dumbledore asked her suddenly.

She looked at him in surprise and bristled slightly, like a cat being faced with something it hated. The idea of love. It had always been hard for her to feel any emotion for anyone. Let alone love them. But then Severus had entered her life in a most unexpected way.

She had felt all sorts of emotions for him. Irritation, longing, jealousy, heartbreak, agony, happiness, sadness… love. She swallowed and looked at Dumbledore uncomfortably.

He raised his hand. "I think, if you know the answer yourself, that is enough," he assured her and smiled. "Alas, I think that is all I need to tell you for the time being," he said.

She nodded.

He then remembered something and motioned for her to come closer. "I almost forgot. Although our conversation is finished, there is something I need to do for you," he said.

She looked at him curiously and stood in front of his desk. "Sorry?" she asked.

He smiled, producing his wand. "Your wand. Let me see it," he requested.

Lilia looked at him curiously, but reached in to get it, remembering it had been broken in half by her abusive father. "It's broken," she said and held it out to him.

He nodded and picked up the two pieces, putting them together carefully and then lay the broken wand upon his desk.

Looking at it lying there so pitifully she remembered how embarrassing it had been to sit out incantations and spell castings in class until it was repaired or replaced. She looked at Dumbledore wearily, not thrilled about showing it to a wizard of his standing. She was about to say it couldn't be repaired even by him and was about to reach for it when he ran his wand just barely over it.

She watched, her eyes widening as it began to repair itself right before her eyes. It was strange how watching it repair, it felt like something was repairing itself inside her as well.

When it was done, she took a step back and clutched a hand to her chest, her eyes still wide in shock and awe. "Merlin's beard…" she whispered. Perhaps Dumbledore was far more powerful than people actually thought he was.

Dumbledore chuckled softly. "Yes, well… it has come to my attention that Mr. Potter's tale is not the only one being told at this moment," he said, picking up her wand, inspecting it and then held it out to her. "I shall wait with curiosity to see how this one plays out," he said thoughtfully.

She looked up at him and stepped back towards him, accepting her wand and cradling it in her hand delicately, afraid it might break by her very touch all of a sudden.

He nodded. "Well, with that, I bid you goodnight, Miss. Gunner. The best of luck on your future decisions," he said.

She nodded slowly, looking at her headmaster, then moved to exit the office, going through the door and proceeded down the stairs quietly.

Stepping out, she jumped when she nearly ran right into Harry Potter himself. She looked up at him in surprise, her green eyes meeting his own of the same shade. "Oh… sorry," she apologized.

"No problem," he said and smiled at her awkwardly, clearly remembering her from the train ride and how awkward and unsociable she had reacted towards him and his friends.

She bit her lip and stepped back onto the step to get out of his way.

He grinned. "I need to get through there," he said.

"Oh, Professor Dumbledore asked for you?" she asked him, stepping down.

He nodded. "You?"

She nodded.

He nodded as well. "I see… hope he wasn't giving you any trouble," he said.

She shook her head. "Not at all… just… a lecture of sorts," she said.

He smiled. "Yea, he's good at those. Great man, Dumbledore."

She shrugged, supposing he was alright after he had taken the time to fix her wand.

"Well, see you later," he said, looking at her and moved up onto the stair, giving her a slight wave when he headed up.

She waved back and turned to go to the Slytherin common room, wanting to catch up with Dawn before heading to the Great Hall for dinner.

Somehow, after learning a little more how Snape felt for her and what he had been through, let alone was going through now, she felt a bit better. It felt like a bit of a weight had been taken off her heart, though she didn't know if she could just go right to him and say she was alright with how he felt for Lily and then her. It was difficult now, and would be, no doubt onwards from tonight. Was she willing to work through it? She wasn't sure. She needed time before making such an enormous and important decision.

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(( Woo! Chapter 36! :D I hope you all liked it :D It was a bit rough to get through xD So I hope I did a decent job on this one J Either way, lemme know what you all thought :D Review review review please! ^_^ Anyways, off to read now xD Later!

ALSO, I would like to add that whole quote Opposites attract but similars stay together is not mine xD Unfortunately I can't come up with something so brilliant lol, it's actually based off a line from a novel called Rainbow Road about homosexuality :P With I found ironic and quirky to get Dumbledore to say... for obvious reasons ;) LOL I hope anyone who recognized it was like "haha! nice" xD Anyways :D Hope you all enjoyed it ^_^ ))


	37. Borrowing Shoes, a Map and a Bed

(( Omigosh, so people seemed to REALLY like the last chapter haha :D I'm glad. It was a somewhat tough one to write so it's a relief that those who read it enjoyed it ^^ I'm glad responses for the most part are very positive.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the affiliated works. If I did, Snape wouldn't have died such a horrible death and been so alone in life L ))

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"Hey."

Lilia glanced up from the book she was studying from for Defence Against the Dark Arts, looking at Dawn. "What?"

Dawn grinned and nodded in the direction of a group of upper and lower year Slytherin boys.

Lilia followed her gaze and saw one of the upper years watching her with an intense look, nodding in an acknowledging manner to her, then turning his attention back to the others who looked like they were dressed for the Slytherin Quidditch tryouts going on that afternoon.

Lilia gaped for a moment and then looked at Dawn. "What the devil was that about?" she asked.

Dawn laughed. "That's Urquhart," she said.

"I know who it is. What's he doing looking at me?"

Dawn shrugged. "You're cute sometimes," she said bluntly. "Maybe he noticed?"

Lilia rolled her eyes. "My ass," she muttered.

"Hmm… I'm sure he noticed how cute that is too," Dawn said nonchalantly.

Lilia gasped and whacked Dawn's shoulder with her textbook. "Dawn!" she exclaimed.

Dawn laughed hysterically. "Joking, joking," she giggled. "Well… maybe… I don't know. But I'm sure he didn't miss it," she smirked up at her friend from where she lay back onto her elbows in a relaxing position.

Lilia rolled her eyes and went back to studying her D.A.D.A. textbook quietly.

"What if you-"

"No."

"But you don't even know what I was going to ask," Dawn pouted.

"I have an idea, and the answer is no," Lilia said calmly.

"But what if-"

"No."

"He's the-"

"No."

"But-"

"Again, no. And a firm no to any of the other related questions you plan on spouting in the next few minutes," Lilia said and smirked at Dawn.

Dawn huffed, looking at Lilia and shook her head. "You're so stubborn sometimes…" she said.

Lilia shrugged. "You seem to enjoy it that way," she said.

"Only sometimes," Dawn clarified with a smirk.

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The owls soared overhead in the Great Hall the following morning, Lilia tilting her head up to see if anything had come in for her. She was expecting something. She had been, for some time, but so far had received nothing for several days.

But today was different.

She felt a smile threatening to form on her face as she caught the letter which came down to her. She proceeded to open it, but was interrupted by an expectant expression from her red haired friend. Sighing, Lilia paused and then looked at Dawn. "May I help you?"

She shook her head. "No, just wondering who's writing to you," she smirked. "Is it the secret lover boy?" she asked.

Lilia shuddered. "I guarantee you it isn't," she said.

Dawn huffed. "Then who?" she asked, trying to read the other name on the letter. She then gaped, looking at Lilia in shock. "Are you dating one of the Weasley twins?" she asked in a whisper.

Lilia blanched. "No! Of course not!" she exclaimed.

Dawn grinned at her. "Is that why you went into their shop during the summer?"

Lilia rolled her eyes. "I already told you I'm not seeing any one of those two," she explained. "I'm just asking them something is all," she said.

"On a date?" Dawn asked, waggling her eyebrows.

Lilia groaned. "What is it with you and dates?" she asked.

Dawn giggled. "I just enjoy tormenting you. Like I said ages ago, it's fun," she smirked. "So, what did you ask them?" she asked.

"Nothing… well… it isn't nothing, but I can't tell you about it," she said.

Dawn rolled her eyes. "Why am I not surprised? Is it something to do with lover boy?"

Lilia nodded absent mindedly, reading the contents of her letter.

"Of course," Dawn muttered, glumly drinking her pumpkin juice, feeling left out as usual from all the fun.

Lilia suddenly smiled. The twins had given her permission to use something she desperately needed.

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Lilia walked out of her Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom as the next class began to file in, after yet another uncomfortable class with her professor who took no real notice of her. It hurt so very much, to watch him when he didn't watch her in return. It felt useless and pointless to hope that he might come and talk to her, ask her to stay after class, even give her a detention just so they could be in the same room on their own!

She paused though, forgetting the heavy feeling for a moment and looked at Dawn. "Hang on, I forgot something, I'll be right back okay?" she said, heading back to the classroom. When she got there, she ran into the exact person she was looking for.

"Er, Harry?" she asked, looking at him.

Harry Potter. He turned and looked at her and nodded in recognition. "Hey, how are you?" he asked, standing with Ron and Hermione who both gave Lilia a slightly uncertain look, remembering not too fondly the train ride when they'd sat with her.

"I'm alright… I was wondering something though," she said and looked at him hopefully.

He frowned and looked at Ron and Hermione, motioning for them to hold on as he stepped away a little with Lilia. "What is it?" he asked.

She sighed. "Well, I asked Fred and George ahead of time, and they said it's fine as long as you're alright with it, but… could I borrow your map for tonight?" she asked.

He frowned even more. "My map?" he asked.

She looked around. "The Maurauder's Map," she whispered.

He looked at her in surprise. "Oh, right… sure, just for tonight, right?"

She nodded.

He thought about it and then nodded, smiling a little. "Sure, when do you need it?" he asked.

She shrugged. "Anytime after classes are completely finished is fine," she said.

He nodded. "Alright, meet me a half hour after classes have let out outside the Gryffindor common room. I'll give it to you then. Tomorrow just give it back at this time," he said.

She nodded. "Thanks,"

He nodded. "What do you need it for though?" he asked.

She smirked. "Secret," she said.

He grinned back. "Alright, see you later," he said, hurrying into D.A.D.A. before the bell rang and he was late, Hermione and Ron glancing at Lilia and nodding their heads before following Harry into the classroom.

Lilia looked at it longingly, hoping the map would help her the way she hoped it would.

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She sighed heavily, proceeding down the hall, Dawn blabbering on and on as usual about boys Lilia should be seeing instead of this mystery boy.

Dawn frowned, looking at Lilia. "Oh come on, Lilia!" she whined. "It's been three weeks since school started and you and this guy haven't spoken even once, right? Just move on and forget about the bloke," she frowned, crossing her arms.

Lilia glanced at Dawn and shook her head. "No thanks. I'm fine," she said calmly, turning a corner to walk with her friend to their next class, potions.

As soon as they turned, a pair of arms slung around their shoulders, and a head of dark brown hair poked its way between them with a smirk. "Hello ladies," said Vaisey, one of the upper year Slytherin Quidditch team members. "I was wondering, will you two be there at tonight's party?" he smirked.

Dawn smirked. "A party for what exactly?"

"The selections for this year's Quidditch team," he said proudly. "So?"

"Hmm…" Dawn sighed.

Lilia was about to say she had other plans when Dawn cut her off.

"We would love to," Dawn said with a flirtatious smile.

Vaisey grinned. "Awesome…" he said and nodded, stepping back. "See you tonight," he smirked, winking at Dawn.

Dawn giggled and waved.

Lilia made a face, looking at her friend in disgust. "Unbelievable. You do realize Vaisey is one of the stupidest upper years we have, and he's not even that good looking," she said.

"Yea, I know," Dawn shrugged.

"So why are you acting all flirty with him?"

"Because, it gets us into the party,"

"But I don't want to go to the party. I have much better things to do then hang around a bunch of testosterone overloaded boys looking for a good snogging," she huffed.

"Testa-what?" Dawn asked, raising a brow.

Lilia shook her head. "Never mind… so why do you want to go there so badly?"

"Because, you need to expand your horizons as far as boys go," she said.

"I do not," Lilia glowered at her. "Boys are immature, stupid, disgusting and perverted pigs with zero manners," she said.

"Oh, and you're dating a MAN are you?" Dawn laughed.

Lilia swallowed, saying nothing, just glaring at her feet as they walked.

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Lilia glared at Dawn, her arms crossed as she leaned against the wall, having just returned to the common room about twenty minutes ago from meeting up with Harry, only to be bombarded with Dawn's insistence to go to the party which started soon. "I hate you," she growled.

Dawn sighed. "Come ON Lilia, stop acting like a spoiled brat and get dressed," she said, pointing at the clothes laid out on her bed.

Lilia shook her head. "No."

Dawn glowered at her. "I'll go to that party and have the biggest guys I can find come back here and drag you there if I have to," she informed her friend.

"You wouldn't," Lilia said, narrowing her eyes.

"Oh I would, I HAVE, actually," Dawn sniggered at a memory she was thinking back on, rather fondly it seemed.

Lilia sighed and then rolled her eyes. "Fine…" she growled, untying her cloak and lay it down on the bed, then proceeded to undress and change.

Dawn nodded and then did the same, changing into a sleek outfit to match her personality and compliment her looks, Lilia changing into a little black dress with a pair of black nylons underneath.

"Sexy," Dawn grinned, eyeing Lilia up and down.

Lilia glowered at her. "You picked it out," she said, not thrilled to be dressing up for a bunch of Slytherin yahoos.

"Oh! I have the perfect shoes to wear with it!" Dawn exclaimed, going to her trunk.

Lilia sighed, crossing her arms, the thick straps with a black button on the ends bugging her arms when she crossed them. "I have shoes of my own," she said.

"You don't have heels. This outfit needs heels," she said.

"This is a Qudditch team party! Not a dress up photo shoot!" Lilia exclaimed in exasperation.

Dawn grinned. "So? Just because it isn't an extremely fancy get together doesn't mean we shouldn't look our very best," she winked, walking over with a pair of - surprising to Lilia - very cute black heels.

Lilia took them tentatively and looked at them, then at Dawn. She sighed and then rolled her eyes. "Fine, I'll wear them, but JUST for tonight," she said.

Dawn nodded. "Good, tonight is all we need," she beamed.

Lilia sighed. "Good… I'm not sure I could handle much more than tonight…" she muttered.

Dawn giggled and took Lilia's hand when they were both ready, heading down to the Slytherin common room where a lot of people were gathered, surprisingly in Lilia's opinion. She hadn't expected that many people, but it looked like the whole of Slytherin was there in attendance. She couldn't understand why. It wasn't like they had won the cup or anything. They'd only selected the team members. Sighing, she reluctantly followed Dawn into the crowd, hoping to keep to herself.

After some time of aimlessly following Dawn around as she talked to other students, Lilia felt a tap on her shoulder. Turning, she looked up to see the team captain, Urquhart.

He motioned for her to follow.

At first she was about to refuse, but saw him heading out of the common room itself and sighed, following, curious where he was going, and also relieved to get out of the crowd.

Once out in the mostly empty hall, Lilia looked up at him. "Sorry, what are we doing out here?"

"You looked like you would rather gut a Hippogriff than be in there much longer," Urquhart stated, crossing his arms and looking at her. "So. What are you doing here if you don't want to be?" he asked.

She shrugged, leaning against the wall and then slid down to sit on the floor with a sigh. "Dawn pretty much dragged me here tonight," she said. "She threatened to have the team drag me down to the party if I didn't go."

He frowned. "That's rough, that girl is just crazy," he said, moving to sit beside her and looked at her. "Well, I suppose I deserve a thanks for getting you out of there," he smirked.

She looked up at him. "Uh… thanks…" she said hesitantly. "So why did you get me out anyways?"

He shrugged, his face as calm as ever.

She frowned. "Come on, what's in it for you?"

He glanced at her. "A possible date?" he suggested.

She hesitated and then turned away, sighing heavily. "I can't," she said. "I'm already seeing someone."

He frowned a little. "Not from what I heard. I mean… I've heard you are with someone, but no one I've spoken to has seen you with anyone," he pointed out. "How come?"

Lilia bit the inside of her cheek softly. "Both of us aren't ready to take the relationship very public yet," she said, looking at Urquhart. "Besides, you're a pure blood Slytherin. Isn't it practically inbred into your DNA to not like us muggle born witches and wizards?" she pointed out.

Urquhart shrugged. "If the girl is cute enough I think I can forget that minor detail," he said.

She raised a brow. "Right…" she said, not very convinced.

The two sat there for a while, Lilia not moving to go back inside, and neither did the team captain. This made Lilia wonder.

"How come you aren't in there celebrating the new team?" she asked him.

He shrugged. "Parties… not really my thing," he smirked.

She looked at him and felt the corner of her mouth go up a bit. "Huh… never would have guessed, most Slytherins enjoy a good party," she said.

"You don't," he pointed out.

"Touche," she said and leaned her head back against the wall behind her.

"So… is this relationship your in real? Or is it something you came up with to make people leave you alone?" he asked.

She looked at him and then looked down. "It's real… at least I think it is," she shrugged. "It's just difficult is all," she explained. "But I hope it is still… there," she said, shaking her head slightly at her choice of words. She was surprised how easy it was to talk to Urquhart. It felt… refreshing to let it out to someone other than Dawn.

He glanced at her and then reached over, taking her hand and brought it to his lisp, smirking at her a little. "Tell me, if that relationship doesn't end up working out, you'll give me a chance?" he asked.

She looked at him and frowned, pulling her hand back and then stood, no longer feeling so comfortable around him. "I don't know. I don't make promises I don't know for certain I can keep, Urquhart."

He sat up, looking up at her where she now stood. "Hey, I was only joking. Come on, sit down again, I like listening to you talk," he said.

She rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips. "We've barely spoken at all," she said. "Anyways, I have to go meet someone important," she said.

He raised a brow. "The guy?"

She looked at him and then nodded slowly. "Yea… the guy," she said half heartedly, only hoping he would actually let her see him. Anytime she'd tried to talk to him after class or make a meeting he told her he was too busy. She hoped he wasn't busy tonight as well.

He nodded, moving to stand up and looked at her. "Well, see you around then, Gunner," he said.

She nodded. "Bye," she said. "Oh, if Dawn asks where I am, tell her I'll probably be back late," she said. "She'll understand," she said.

He nodded. "Will do. See you," he said, heading back inside the Slytherin common room.

She watched him go inside, then pulled the map out from inside her dress, having folded it and hid it inside her dress carefully when Dawn wasn't looking. She unfolded it and whispered the words needed to make it work, then watched as the school revealed it's entirety to her right there on the old parchment. She watched wide eyed, looking at all the little footprints making their way throughout the halls even at this relatively late hour. But those weren't important, She was looking for one name in particular. There it was.

Severus Snape.

She smirked, looking at how to get there on the map, not remembering the way to the teacher's quarters off by heart. Using the map would have been the easiest way to get their without arousing suspicion by asking a fellow student or prefect as well as being a good way to avoid any teachers that might cross her path. Also, she hadn't been entirely sure he would be in his room at all times of the night, having seemed so busy all the time.

Either way, she followed the path she saw on the map, taking careful time to get there. At last, after carefully evading teachers along the way thanks to the map, she came to Severus' door, looking at the dark wood of it. She felt a bit nervous, but summed up her courage and knocked.

There was silence for a moment and she then gasped, quickly dissolving the contents of the enchanted map with the spell Harry had said was needed when finished using it, then folded it and hid it away carefully again, waiting.

Severus came to the door and opened it, frowning and then looked at Lilia. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

She sighed and pushed past him, standing in his bed chambers and looked up at him.

He frowned, closing and locking the door, then turned to face her, his arms crossed, his expression set into a deep frown, but expectant of what she had to tell him.

She took a breath, feeling nervous to admit what she wanted to, so instead of thinking it through and worrying, she said something else entirely. "I want to become a Death Eater," she said firmly.

He looked at her with narrowed eyes. "Out of the question," he said firmly.

She rolled her eyes, pretty much having expected such a reaction. "And why not? It would let me be around you more, like before…"

"Because it is dangerous. Besides, you're too young," he said.

She glowered up at him. "You're one!"

"Was," he clarified.

"You still do the Dark Lord's bidding," she growled.

"Only by Dumbledore's order," he stated firmly.

She frowned, crossing her arms. "Draco is being initiated into the group, isn't he?"

"Because of his father's failure," he glared at her. "Stop talking about becoming one. I don't want to you to. Not ever," he said firmly.

She felt herself soften slightly at his words, even if the tone didn't seem very concerned over her safety, she found that she just knew he was. Genuinely. She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose.

He looked at her outfit and frowned. "Why are you dressed like that?" he asked.

She looked down at her dress and shrugged. "Quidditch team selections were decided today, so Slytherin house is now celebrating," she said glumly.

He rolled his eyes at the stupid reasons students chose to have parties for. This, clearly, one of them.

She looked at him and then looked down. "I didn't come here to complain or try to become a Death Eater…" she said finally.

He looked at her. "Then why did you?"

She met his gaze and knew she had to say it now, or she might never pluck up the courage to do so again. "I wanted to tell you that even though you're still hurting somehow over Lily Potter… and that I'm not her, and I can't replace her… I don't intend to," she said.

He frowned, looking at her, uncrossing his arms slightly.

She hesitated before continuing. "I want you to know I do trust you, and I want to show you that even though Lily didn't love you… I do," she said finally, feeling too overwhelmed to actually say the words 'I love you' to him, hoping he understood that.

There was silence for a moment before he approached her carefully, then reached out and cupped her cheek carefully.

She looked up at him pleadingly, feeling afraid that he didn't fully understand or want to accept what she was saying. But then he kissed her, and those doubts disappeared. She closed her eyes and returned the still surprisingly gentle gesture, sliding her arms around his neck and stepped closer to him, glad for the heels she was wearing right then, them allowing him to have to bend down to her level a little less.

When they pulled away, she rested her forehead against the side of his neck and kept her eyes closed for a moment, savouring the feeling of his lips on hers, his arms holding her around her waist. "Can I stay with you?" she asked him quietly.

He looked down at her while his fingers absent mindedly laced through her fine black hair. "Here?"

She nodded.

He sighed, but eventually nodded. "Alright…" he said, letting go of her. "But you'll have to sleep in that dress," he pointed out. "Unless you plan on going to get something to change into and then coming back," he frowned.

She shook her head. "I don't want to leave," she said firmly.

He nodded, looking at the time wearily, then moved to the bed.

He took off his cloak, then kicked off his shoes, moving to sit against the headboard, looking at her quietly.

She took off her heels, wincing when her foot lay flat on the ground. What a nightmare heels were. She vowed to never wear them again… at least not anytime soon. Once they were off, she climbed onto the bed and crawled over to where Severus sat lounging, and lay against him, resting her head upon his shoulder, reaching for his hand and laced her fingers with him gently.

They said nothing that night, just revelling in each others company until they moved to lay down and fall asleep, Lilia's head cradled into Severus' chest while he held her by her waist firmly but gently during the course of the night.

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Lilia squirmed in the early morning hours, about an hour before the rest of the school was going to be waking up to be exact. She turned over, having rolled onto her other side during the night to see Severus waking her. "What?" she whispered.

"Go to your dormitory. Your classmates will be waking up soon and they'll wonder where you've been the whole night," he said calmly.

She sighed, nodding and sat up, rubbing her eyes. She climbed from the bed and stretched, picking up Dawn's heels in her hand and looked back at him as he got up to show her to the door.

She walked with him and when he unlocked the door, she moved to hold onto him, burying her face into his chest softly and closed her eyes, savouring the feel of him, just him there again. She pulled away after a moment and looked up at him.

He smirked very faintly and put a hand atop her head, then kissed her forehead gently, moving to open the door for her.

She stepped out and glanced back at him, waving slightly, then headed back to the Slytherin common room, carefully memorizing the way from Severus' bed chambers to the main halls, wanting to know the way there in case she ever had to come back on her own again.

When she reached the Slytherin common room, she was relieved to see no one awake yet, proceeding up to the dormitory's.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw Dawn sitting there in the dark, waiting for her.

She smirked at Lilia. "My oh my, just where have you been the entire night, Miss. Gunner?" she teased.

Lilia sighed, reluctantly walking over and sat on her bed, looking at Dawn, who had a bed next to her again. "None of your business," she said.

Dawn grinned, moving to lay down on her front and looked at Lilia expectantly. "Mhmm. Let me guess, you went to your secret lover's room and made love all night long," she teased.

Lilia sighed. "Yea, sure. That's exactly what we did," she said, more than happy to have just slept next to him last night. "What are you doing still up anyways?" she whispered.

Dawn chuckled softly. "I went to bed early when I realized you had ditched. It didn't take much brains to figure out where you'd disappeared to. So I got up early and saw you were still gone and decided to wait," she shrugged. "Can't fool me," she said proudly.

Lilia smiled at that as she reached back to unzip her dress. "Thanks for the heels though. They completely rearranged my feet's bone structure," she shot with a smirk, handing them to Dawn.

Dawn grinned and winked. "A girl's got to do what a girl's got to do," she said.

"Sure," Lilia smirked. She slid off the nylons, then shrugged off the dress, her back to Dawn so she could hide the map in the bundle of clothes and put it away without Dawn asking what the parchment was for.

When she stood in her panties and bra only, she pulled on her school blouse, Dawn having also begun to get dressed since there was nothing else to do.

The two finally got dressed and then Dawn put her hands on her hips. "So, why do you keep hiding this guy from me?" she asked.

Lilia sighed. "Dawn, not now," she pleaded.

Dawn frowned. "Why? I want to know. Is he revolting? Are you embarrassed by his teeth or nose?" she asked.

Lilia almost snorted with laughter at that one, thinking on Snape's signature crooked nose.

Dawn looked at Lilia expectantly.

Lilia looked at Dawn wearily and then sighed. "Dawn. I'm just not ready to show him to you yet. Please trust me when I say that. When I am ready to let you know who it is, you'll be the first to know, I promise."

"What if you're never ready," Dawn whined.

Lilia sighed. "I will tell you eventually. Just be patient," she said, looking at her friend pleadingly. "Please?"

Dawn looked at Lilia with a slightly sour expression, then nodded. "Alright fine. BUT!"

"Shhhh!" someone hissed from their bed in irritation.

Lilia almost grinned, like Dawn was doing now.

"But," Dawn whispered, "Can I still get hints? They're fun to guess," she admitted.

Lilia nodded. "Sure. Hints. I'll supply them in abundance," she said.

Dawn grinned, clearly settled by this agreement.

Once they both got dressed, Dawn and Lilia went down to the common room so as not to disturb any of the other girls while they talked.

"So, how big he is?" she teased on the way down to the common room.

"Dawn!" Lilia exclaimed, turning bright pink in the face at her tone of voice and the question.

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(( Yay :D Chapter 37! ^_^ I hope you all enjoyed it. As for Urquhart. He actually WAS the captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team in Harry's sixth year and Lilia's fifth, hence why I used him. Plus his birth date is unknown really as is his general appearance, so I just made him a year ahead of Lilia, same year as Harry, Ron, and Hermione AND I made him based off the appearance of the Slytherin Quidditch player that flies at the front of the first formation in HBP movie O_o What a weird name… Vaisey xD Yea… I have way too much time if I can do all this for one chapter eh? XD Shaddap! XD I want it to relate believably in MOST ways to the actual storyline! Lmao :P Oh! Also, Vaisey actually is one of the Chasers in this year for the Slytherin Quidditch team J You see him for a moment in the HBP movie, hes the first Slytherin to try and score on Gryffindor, number 4 :P Hahaaaa I need a life -o- LOL ANYWHO! Please review and let me know what you all thought :D I enjoy hearing from you all! And hooray for yet another somewhat long chapter xD ))


	38. First Visit to Hogsmeade

(( Morning again my fellow readers :D Early upload because I'm off to work unfortunately for theeee entire day until late this evening -_- Bleh lol HOPEFULLY it's really dead and I can be back home around 5 to prepare ideas for tomorrow's chapter ^w^ Any who, please enjoy the chapter for today :D Please review and lemme know what you all thought ^^

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the affiliated works D; If I did, I would be covered in ink by now or dead from the amount of times I would roll around in my money ;) lol Care to join me in some lovely ink poisoning? :P ))

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"These are what I was telling you about," Dawn said, pointing at the sugared butterfly wings. "They're delicious. You should buy a pack," she nodded, encouraging Lilia to buy them.

Lilia stood, clutching a box of Pink Coconut Ice, the box design having won her over completely. That, and the fact that it was coconut and fudge flavoured, she absolutely refused to leave without at least one box of the sweets from Honeydukes that morning in Hogsmeade.

Quinn came up behind Lilia and hung a skeletal sweet in front of her. "Scared?" he grinned.

Lilia looked back up at him and stuck her tongue out.

"Aww, you like pink?" Quinn teased and chuckled.

Lilia glowered, hiding the box a little behind her. "I do not."

Quinn chuckled. "You're so cute when you get angry," he grinned, putting an arm around her shoulder.

She glared and shrugged him off. "Gee, I think I just lost my appetite," Lilia said, moving to another part of the store.

Dawn giggled, blowing a large blue bubble at Quinn with the wad of Drooble's Best Blowing Gum in her mouth. With that, she turned away, following Lilia through the throngs of students and watched her pick out some Sugar Quills. She raised a brow, watching her annoyed face curiously. "So… why do you dislike Quinn so much?" she asked.

Lilia shrugged. "He's too pushy and very annoying. I can't stand annoying people," she said.

Dawn snorted. "But I'm annoying," she pointed out.

Lilia looked at Dawn. "Yes well, unfortunately I just can't seem to shake you off," she smirked, moving on to look at a box of Pepper Imps.

Dawn chuckled. "Oh, so very true," she grinned, reaching for a box of her favourite Shock-O-Choc, deciding she would also buy a box of Pepper Imps for later. She then frowned and paused, glancing back to see Quinn talking to one of his friends, then looked at Lilia. She then grinned. "It's Quinn isn't it?" she asked.

Lilia glanced up at her, frowning. "Is he what?"

Dawn grinned devilishly at her friend.

Lilia gaped at her. "Ew! No way! Besides, Quinn has brown hair, not black," she pointed out. "AND as far as I can remember, he hasn't been in detention," she pointed out.

Dawn frowned. "Hmm… true," she nodded. "So… how are you and Urquhart doing anyways?" she grinned.

Lilia rolled her eyes as she took her things to the counter to pay for them. "There is no me and Urquhart. He says hi every so often, that's all," she said.

Dawn smirked. "Mhmm," she said in an unconvinced tone.

Lilia frowned at her. "Seriously, there is no me and Urquhart. If you think he's so good looking, why don't you go out with him?" she suggested.

Dawn snorted. "I highly doubt he could handle me for more than a minute," she chuckled. "Besides, he's way into you right now," she pointed out.

"Oh ya? How do you come to that conclusion?" Lilia asked her with a raised brow.

Dawn nodded in the direction behind Lilia.

She turned to see Urquhart approaching and he nodded at Lilia.

"Hey," he said calmly, glancing at Dawn. "Hey," he said to her as well.

"Hey yourself," Dawn said with a smirk. "What are you doing here?" she asked him.

He shrugged. "I was wandering if you wanted to go to Madam Puddifoot's Teashop?" he suggested, looking at Lilia when he said this.

Lilia looked at him quizzically, having no idea what that was.

Dawn sniggered. "I'm sure she would be thrilled to go. She hasn't been there yet, you should show her around," Dawn nodded, nudging Lilia closer to Urquhart.

Lilia shot Dawn a hateful glare, but Urquhart was already leading the way, so she followed, instead of ignoring him and being rude.

As they walked through the snowy town, Lilia glanced up at the taller boy. "So… what exactly is this teashop? I mean, it's more than just tea, isn't it? Dawn's little grin back there told me as much," Lilia said.

He smirked. "Yea, I guess it's more than just a tea shop," he said. "It's for couples to sit down and kiss and hold hands," he told her.

She stopped, ready to slap him for inviting her to such a place.

He smirked. "But, lucky for you, I have no intention of going to such a place," he said.

She frowned. "You asked me to go there though," she said. "Or am I just going completely loopy?" she asked him, crossing her arms.

He looked at her. "No, you heard me right, but I lied. I just figured if I asked you to come with me to Madam's shop, Dawn might finally leave you alone so I could get to know you better without her constant distraction," he said.

She looked at him and uncrossed her arms just the tiniest bit. "Really?" she asked.

He nodded. "That, and I can't stand the color pink," he said.

Lilia glanced down at her bag of candy from Honeydukes, mindful of the bright pink packaging of her Pink Coconut Ice. "But you know I'm already seeing someone," she pointed out.

He shrugged. "It's been a few weeks so I assume things are going well on that end for you, however I said I want to get to know you better, regardless if you're with another guy right now or not," he smirked. "Come on, I promise to keep my hands to myself this time."

She looked skeptical, but decided Dawn was long gone by that point, so she might as well trust Urquhart for the time being and see what he wanted.

"Alright…" she sighed reluctantly, moving to walk with him along the main streets of Hogsmeade.

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"They say there are howls and strange noises at night sometimes in there," Urquhart said, nodding his head at the Shrieking Shack.

Lilia frowned, looking at the shack… or rather large building, quietly. She then looked at Urquhart sceptically. "Yea right. That has to be some rumour created by some deranged idiot," she said.

Urquhart grinned, leaning forward against the fence and looked at the abandoned house up at the end of the path. "So you don't believe in it?" he asked.

She looked at him a moment longer, then out at the shack and shook her head. "No. It's just a creepy looking empty old house," she said.

He looked over his shoulder at her, his dark brown hair poking out shaggily from under his winter cap. He flashed her an award winning smile and stood up, extending his hand out in front of him towards the entrance onto the path. "Then why don't you show me you aren't scared?" he suggested.

She frowned, looking at him seriously.

"Come on, to say it is one thing, but to do it is what matters," he pointed out.

She crossed her arms, watching him uncertainly, wondering what he was up to.

Urquhart circled her quietly and brushed back a bit of her hair, leaning close so she could hear him over the howling wind. "If you get scared I'll hold your hand…" he told her.

She had had it with Urquhart thinking he was entitled to doing what he pleased with her and thinking she would swoon at his supposed heroic ways. She stepped away from him and headed onto the path, calmly making her way up towards the house.

"Wait!" he exclaimed behind her, shocked that she would actually walk onto the allegedly haunted property. "Where are you going?" he called out to her over the wind and snow.

"Into the spooky old house!" she called back, not even glanced back at him as she trudged her way up the icy and snowy path, getting closer and closer to the tall and oddly shaped house. Oddly, the closer she got to it, the more uneasy she felt. It was so creepy looking as she approached it, looking up at the tall unstable looking structure. Glancing back to see no sign of Urquhart having followed, Lilia went to the door, tugging on it and frowned. It wouldn't budge.

She stepped back, looking up at the structure, wanting to get inside somehow, but when she tried to door again, it would not open up no matter how much she pulled.

Sighing, she crossed her arms and turned to go back, pausing when she saw Urquhart running towards her.

"Oh god, you're safe," he gasped, coming to stop a few feet away from the house.

She raised a brow and calmly walked past him. "Of course I'm fine. I can't even get into the house to get a splinter in my finger, so no matter," she said calmly, heading back the way she had come.

Urquhart sighed, looking at the shack hesitantly, then ran over to Lilia, slowing to walk by her side, though walking a little faster than was necessary.

When they reached the end of the path again, Lilia looked up at Urquhart and grinned. "Are you scared, Urquhart?" she asked.

He glanced back at the shack, then at her, brushing off something absentmindedly from the front of his jacket. "What? No, I was scared for your safety," he explained.

She crossed her arms, giving him a very unconvinced look. "I'm sure," she said and moved to head back to the main streets of Hogsmeade.

"Three Broomsticks, then?" he asked.

She glanced back at him. "Sorry?"

He smirked, following her. "The Three Broomsticks. We can get Butterbeer there. Care to join me?" he asked. "We can head back to the school after," he said, taking her bag and carrying it for her.

She sighed and then followed reluctantly. "Alright, fine," she said, following him to the pub.

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She sat in her seat, drinking her Butterbeer quietly, mindful of getting any foam on her upper lip.

Urquhart had excused himself to go to the lavatory a few moments earlier, so she sat on her own in one of the booths, looking around uncomfortably at some of the other people there. It felt odd being in the presence of a boy in public.

It wasn't even just being in public with some boy. It was the fact that other Slytherin girls were making it very obvious over their jealousy that someone like Urquhart had chosen to spend the day in Hogsmeade with someone of Lilia's social rank.

Certainly not something she was sure she would ever grow used to. She wondered if when she got older, would she be able to do it with Severus as well?

She blushed, closing her eyes and shaking the thought away immediately, the mental visual of her and Severus just walking outside together, so odd to her, she thought she might laugh so hard the Butterbeer would launch through her nose.

Sighing, she sat back and looked absently at her mug, glancing up when she saw a familiar trio enter the pub/inn. Ducking her head to avoid having to talk to them, she went back to sipping her Butterbeer. She hoped Urquhart would hurry up whatever he was doing, Lilia wanting to get back to school and be left alone, having been utterly exhausted from a day with the upper year boy.

When she saw the familiar Slytherin team captain approaching, she downed the rest of her Butterbeer and smiled at him. "Ready to go then?" she asked.

He grinned and sat down. "Let me finish," he said and pointed at his lip. "You got foam on your lip," he said.

She glowered and wiped it away, sitting back and sighed. "After this we're going back though, right?" she asked.

He nodded. "Yea, sure. What's your hurry?" he asked.

She shrugged. "I just feel tired is all," she said.

He nodded. "Fair enough," he said.

"Hey my boy!" came a cry.

Urquhart looked up from where he sat finishing his drink and watched the exchange from afar between Slughorn and Potter. "What an insufferably annoying man, that Slughorn," he muttered under his breath.

Lilia glanced over at the old man and then at Urquhart, shrugging. "He's alright I suppose, just a bit… loud," she frowned.

Urquhart nodded. "In my opinion, I preferred Snape over Slughorn any day," he said, watching the conversation between the other two still without much interest.

She nodded. "Professor Snape is superior to any other teacher here," she said without thinking it through. She paused, glancing at Urquhart who turned to look at her.

He nodded. "I agree," he smirked. "By far, the most brilliant professor at the school. He would make a far better Headmaster than that old crow, Dumbledore," he said, finishing his drink just as Horace Slughorn made another loud comment and sloshed Firewhiskey all over the table that Harry, Ron and Hermione were seated at. "Hmm… I suppose I don't mind leaving now before he comes over here and tries to give us a drunken monologue of some sort," he said, standing.

Lilia nodded and moved to stand, then sighed. "One moment, I think I need the girl's room now," she said.

Urquhart chuckled. "Alright, I'll wait outside," he said.

Lilia nodded and went into the girl's lavatory, closing the door behind her and approached one of the stalls. She did what she needed to, ignoring the strange murmurs in one of the other stalls, then washed her hands, rejoining Urquhart outside. "Ready?" she asked.

He nodded.

She reached for her bags from some of the shops she had gone to with Dawn, but Urquhart hid them behind his back, smirking at her and motioned for her to begin walking, making no move to give her bags back during the walk back to Hogwarts.

"Come on, the wind's picking up," Urquhart said, walking a steady and firm pace, but being mindful and slowing when Lilia struggled to keep up in the snow and wind as it began to worsen in a matter of minutes.

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Severus made his way down the hall ominously, a very firm and unhappy expression on his face as he made his way to Professor McGonagall's classroom. There had been a problem involving a few students in Hogsmeade. His immediate thought was that Potter was somehow involved in it. But another thought that entered his mind was that Lilia herself may have gotten tangled up in it somehow. Why was it her first visit there, nasty things began to make themselves known. He only hoped she was alright or at the very least not bleeding to death in some pit.

As he proceeded down the hall, he picked up his pace when he saw a head of dark straight hair moodily leaving the area where he was to meet Minerva. He slowed though when the light showed the girls hair to be far shorter than Lilia's, and her skin not quite as pale. It was only Leanne, one of the sixth year Hufflepuffs. Nothing of importance.

He turned the corner and frowned to see the familiar trio standing in the classroom in a formed line, facing Minerva.

"Oh, Severus," the old woman said in relief when he entered the room.

He approached, his eyes immediately falling upon the necklace. He frowned, knowing exactly what it was the moment he saw it.

Pulling out his wand, he stood near it next to Minerva and lifted it with magic, not daring to touch it physically. The moment he did, the other animals in the room began to react negatively to its presence.

"What do you think?" Minerva asked.

He frowned. "I think Miss. Bell is lucky to be alive," he stated calmly.

"She was cursed, wasn't she?" Harry asked from behind, looking at his two superiors expectantly. "I know Katie off the Quidditch Pitch, she wouldn't hurt a fly. If she was delivering that to Professor Dumbledore, she wasn't doing it knowingly," he said seriously.

"Yes, she was cursed," Minerva confirmed gravely.

"It was Malfoy," Potter stated clearly.

"That is a very serious accusation, Potter," Minerva said seriously, frowning at the sixth year while Severus put the necklace back down and turned to look at the boy as well, a deep frown on his features.

"Indeed," he agreed. "Your evidence?" he questioned.

"I just know," Harry said firmly.

"You just… know," he said in disbelief.

There was a tense silence from the trio.

"Once again, you've astonishing gifts, Potter, gifts mere mortals can only dream of possessing. How grand it must be to be the Chosen One," he said in a flat but mocking tone.

Minerva glanced at Severus with uncertain surprise, then looked at the three students while Snape continued eyeing, Harry especially, with scorn.

"I suggest you go back to your dormitory's, all of you," Professor McGonagall said with a firm nod.

Harry stared at Snape for a moment more before turning and leaving with his friends.

Severus stayed a while longer to inspect the contents of the necklace with Minerva until nothing more could be done.

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Lilia glanced up from her book when one of the Slytherin prefects approached her. "Professor Snape would like to speak with you in his office," she said.

Lilia frowned, wondering what he wanted at this hour, but got up without a word and passed the prefect, going to the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom. Once there, she knocked and entered, stepping into the room, and closed the door behind her. She made her way down the aisles of desks and up to the professors office, knocking on the door and stepped in. "You wanted to see me?" she asked.

He glanced up from a roll of parchment he didn't look very enthused to be marking. "Yes. Did you hear anything about the events today in Hogsmeade?" he asked.

"Events?" she asked.

He nodded. "Regarding Katie Bell and Leanne?"

She frowned, shaking her head. "No, I spent pretty much the entire time with Urquhart when Dawn disappeared to hell knows where. Why?"

Severus' face darkened. "Urquhart?"

She nodded. "He came up to me and Dawn and invited me to go to some tea shop, but he apparently lied and we ended up going to the Shrieking Shack and wandering around before getting a Butterbeer and coming back here," she explained.

Severus tensed slightly. "The Shrieking Shack? Why?"

"Because he said it was haunted and I refuse to believe it. I went right up to the door and nothing happened. Proved him wrong, I did."

He clenched his teeth at the thought of her going so close to such an off limits place. "You are not to go to that house," he said firmly.

She shrugged. "It's completely boarded up, I couldn't even get the door open so I won't be returning to it," she said calmly.

"And what did Urquhart do when you went?"

"At first he didn't follow, but when I began to make my way back, he caught up to me. What a chicken," she smirked.

He frowned. "So you had a good time then?" he asked.

She shrugged again. "It was alright, but not that great. Honeydukes was fun, especially since it was my first time there. The Three Broomsticks is a nice place, and so are some of the shops. "

"And your time with Urquhart? You enjoyed his company as well then?"

She thought about it and made a bit of a face. "He's nice company and all, but I'm not interested in him. Not even remotely. He keeps trying to take me out, but…"

"But?" Severus asked, raising a brow.

Lilia looked at Severus quietly. "But I told him I'm already seeing someone," she said quietly.

Severus seemed to visibly relax at this. He then nodded. "So nothing bad happened then, on your first visit?"

She shook her head. "No, why do you keep asking?"

He shook his head. "Never mind. I just wanted to be sure you weren't involved in any way," he said.

She looked at him quietly. "It's something to do with Draco and Lord Voldemort, isn't it?" she asked.

He tensed and looked at her. "That is none of your business, Lilia," he said seriously.

She sighed, crossing her arms and leaned against the doorway sulkily.

Severus sighed and stood up, coming over and took her arm, gently pulling her into his office and closed the door, looking at her down the bridge of his nose. "You know I'm merely trying to protect you from harm in the best way that I can," he said.

She looked up at him, wanting to argue that she could at least know some of the things he did, but when she saw the expression he tried to keep hidden in his eyes, her heart softened. Lily had been killed by the very man who was creating all these problems. She suddenly realized just how much it must worry Severus for her to possibly get tangled up in that nasty web of deceit and pain. She uncrossed her arms and reached up, touching his face gently, then moving to carefully cup his cheeks in her palms, meeting his gaze. "I'm sorry…" she said softy. "I didn't realize how much it must affect you sometimes," she explained.

He narrowed his eyes at her. "You're very selfish without realizing it sometimes, Lilia," he told her bluntly.

She glowered up at him. "Yes well, I'm only human. I can't say I enjoy not knowing what you're always up to and what's going on around you," she said.

He rolled his eyes and nodded a little. "Clearly…"

She gazed at him and then slid her hands down his chest and pulled away slightly. "Just tell me you're being careful when you do all these things," she said, meeting his eyes straight on, unwaveringly.

He was slightly surprised that someone would show concern for him, but nodded without a word, not wanting her to worry about him. He didn't need her causing a scene every time he had to do something in order to maintain his deceit to the Dark Lord. It would be utterly disastrous. He then put a hand atop her head and looked at her seriously. "Go back to the dormitory and get some sleep," he said.

She looked up at him and nodded. "Alright… goodnight, Severus," she said, moving to open the door. She met resistance when she tried to open it and glanced up to see a black clad arm keeping the door closed. She felt her lips beginning to draw up into a foolish smile, biting her lower lip in an attempt to stop it along with the fluttery feeling in her stomach. She turned and looked up to see Severus watching her intently. "Yes, professor?" she whispered.

He gazed at her with a slight frown. "Why are you so concerned about me and what I'm up to?" he asked her, fully knowing the answer, or so he hoped, but wanting to hear it from her mouth.

She hesitated and then smirked a little. "Because I care about you… I care about what happens to you," she told him.

He smirked faintly and leaned down, pressing his lips chastely against hers. When he pulled away, his dark eyes met her green ones in an intense look. "Goodnight, Miss. Gunner…" he murmured.

"Night..." she whispered breathily, looking at him quietly. She pulled the door open behind her, stepping closer to Severus, pressing up against him firmly when he didn't budge, so she could open the door behind her enough to slip out. When she was sure it was open enough, she stepped to the side and moved around the wooden door, looking up at him again before she slipped out and headed down the short staircase and proceeded to return to her dormitory for the night, feeling very much elated by tonight, even if not very much had really happened. However, to her, even the smallest sign of affection from Severus meant the world to her for more reasons than one.

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(( Yeeeeee Chapter 38! *fist pump* Almost to chapter 40 :D How exciting! Lol please review and lemme know what you all thought of this chapter : 3 I hope you enjoyed it ^^ By the way, I REALLY want to go to Honeydukes after writing the beginning of this chapter O_O So cruel that it's so… far… away… *sobs* lol OH OH! Also! HAPPY BIRTHDAY CATSAREAWESOME! (shes my alleged stalker :O) *gives this mystery reviewer a t shirt with mah face on it* -w- LOL ))


	39. Urquhart

(( Woot! Chapter 39 :D People seemed to greatly enjoy the last chapter :D Very happy about that ^^ Anywho, here you are with today's chapter :D Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I do not now, or ever will own Harry Potter or ANY of the related or affiliated works. If I ever did… well… I would probably die of shock itself :S xD ))

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Lilia looked up at Urquhart as he explained yet another thing that had occurred at last night's practises. In all honesty, it was very dull to be listening to, but Urquhart seemed to be decent enough in her presence, so Lilia wasn't rude to him by snapping or telling him to essentially bugger off.

It had been difficult the last few days to evade the boy. He was very persistent in hanging around her even when she told him she had nothing to do. He would just walk alongside her, talking every now and then and commenting on this or that. Normally, that sort of intrusive behaviour would have annoyed the hell out of Lilia, but she somehow didn't mind MOST of the time when Urquhart did it, especially since he never made any move onto her, just talked and so on. Like he wasn't actually interested in her.

There were times when Lilia almost thought he really wasn't interested in her in reality, but then he would slip in a little flirt and she would roll her eyes, reverting back to her original thought of him. Nothing but a boy.

"Slytherin!" someone called out as they passed.

"Woo, don't get distracted today on the Quidditch pitch by your girlfriend, Urquhart!" Vaisey teased, grinning as he passed by the pair.

Lilia glowered after Vaisey and looked at Urquhart. "What was that about?"

Urquhart shook his head and grinned. "He's just being a twank again, ignore him," he said, assuring her. "Come on, let's go for a walk where it's less crowded before the game," he suggested.

Lilia looked around at the crowds which were beginning to amass in the halls and nodded, getting up to follow him.

They headed into the Great Hall after a few minutes, Urquhart wanting to talk to a cousin in the Ravenclaw house, Lilia following him over and standing next to him quietly while she scanned the crowd for any sign of Dawn, really missing her intrusive and interrogating ways in comparison to Urquhart's mere presence.

She saw her after a moment and tapped Urquhart on the shoulder. "I'm going to go talk to Dawn for a bit. I'll see you on the pitch," she told him, nodding and turned to go, passing by the Ravenclaw table and going to sit with her friend, ignoring the annoying yells of people booing other team players. Not that she cared really, but it was just that. She just didn't care so didn't bother to ever partake in such needless insults.

Sighing, she sat down next to Dawn and looked at her. "Morning," she said.

Dawn giggled, sipping her pumpkin juice. "Morning yourself. You and Urquhart seem to be getting along well. Your boyfriend alright with this?" she asked.

Lilia raised a brow. "He hasn't mentioned anything. Why?" Dawn shrugged. "Nothing. I was just wondering, I mean, if I was a guy and my girlfriend was hanging around other guys I wouldn't like it one bit," she pointed out.

Lilia rolled her eyes. "Se… he… he isn't like that," she said.

Dawn paused and looked at Lilia. "Se?"

"Tongue wasn't working," Lilia said calmly.

Dawn looked at her friend sceptically. "Mhmm…" she said with a smirk. "I'm sure," she said.

Lilia glanced at her and shrugged like it was nothing, eating some toast, hoping more than anything Dawn wouldn't figure it out and get her in trouble, or worse, freak out and draw attention to the issue.

"Alright, so his name starts with Se…" Dawn cooed.

"Doesn't," Lilia said.

Dawn frowned. "Well then why'd you say it?"

"My tongue wasn't working, I already told you," Lilia insisted.

Dawn glowered. "You're such a horrible liar, Lilia," she said.

Lilia shrugged. "Fine, tell me one person in Slytherin who's name starts with Se," she pointed out. "WHO," she added, "has black hair, been in detention loads and is very tall," she said.

Dawn frowned, scanning the table and then sighed. "No one that I can see right now," she said.

Lilia nodded.

"However, now everyone is here for breakfast, so there," Dawn smirked.

Lilia looked at her friend while she took a bite of toast and then smirked, deciding to mess with her. "You do realize even if you guess who it is, or if you already have, I'm not going to just admit it's him, right?" she pointed out.

"Lilia!" Dawn exclaimed, causing a few heads to turn and look in their direction. Dawn slumped forward against the table and whined. "That is so unfair!" she exclaimed.

Lilia shrugged. "I never claimed to be a very fair person."

Dawn whined and pouted.

Lilia merely smirked, amused by this development which would give her more time to hide it.

"Aha! So then his name DOES start with Se!" she said.

Lilia looked at her with a raised brow.

"Yes. Because you said it does't, and now you tell me even if something is true you won't admit it, so his name must be Se… something," she nodded.

Lilia extended her arm out to show the table seated there yet again enforcing noone fell under the requirements.

Dawn groaned. "Oh god, this is far too cruel…" she muttered.

Lilia chuckled and finished her toast, nudging Dawn. "Come on, let's get good seats before Quidditch begins," she said.

"I don't think I can go," Dawn said dramatically, getting up. "I'm feeling oh so depressed," she sighed, but grinned when Lilia looked at her.

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"Weasley cannot save a thing,

He cannot block a single ring,

That's why Slytherins all sing:

Weasley is our King."

Dawn was screaming the chant along with the rest of the Slytherins as the Gryffindor and Slytherin teams battled on the Quidditch pitch for dominance, soaring fast and swift, scoring as many goals as they could, the Slytherins especially beating around as many Bludgers as they could to try and knock off any Gryffindors that got in their way.

Lilia stayed quiet though, watching as Harper caught the Quaffle, watching as the Slytherins moved into a V shaped formation, Urquhart in the front as team captain. They passed the Quaffle to another team member, Lilia didn't catch the name on the back of their Quidditch robe, and then passed it to Vaisey who knocked Ginny Weasley out of the way roughly, just barely managing to catch it. Vaisey then knocked it towards the lower hoop.

The Gryffindors burst into cheers as Ron managed to kick it out of the way quickly, pumping his fist into the air as they cheered for him.

Lilia had to hand it to him. He was quick. He continuously managed to deflect several Quaffles from going into the hoops, putting Gryffindor in the lead very quickly.

There was a moment when Ginny Weasley soared fast very low to the ground, disorienting one of the Beaters who pursued and caused him to fly right off his broomstick.

Lilia shook her head at the idiocy of it all, watching as it even furthered with Urquhart who tried to catch Ginny but only managed to soar right into their Keeper, knocking the both of them off their broomsticks and to the ground, a loud thunk even being heard when he hit the ring roughly.

Lilia almost had to laugh. Not exactly the most graceful moment in her opinion of the upper year team captain. She even felt a smug grin beginning to form on her features, highly amused by the display.

She watched as yet again, the Slytherin team took formation, Quaffle held in hand by Vaisey yet again who tried to score on Ron, but failed when he defected it with ease for the hundredth time that match.

"Weasley! Weasley! Weasley! Weasley!" the Gryffindors chanted continuously, right up to when Harry caught the Snitch and won the game for them… yet again.

"So tell me," Lilia said, clapping half heartedly next to Dawn. "Why do we come to these matches when we know Potter won't let our team win at all?" she asked.

Dawn shrugged. "Eye candy?" she suggested.

Lilia wrinkled her nose in distaste, making them both laugh as they began to make their way off the pitch once the two teams had gone back inside.

Lilia looked up when one of the team members, Harper, came running over. She looked up at the tall dark skinned boy and raised a brow.

"Urquhart's in the infirmary, asking for you," he said.

Lilia glanced at Dawn who grinned cheekily at her. Sighing, Lilia nodded. "Alright, I'll go see him then," she sighed, walking with Harper to the infirmary.

Once there, she went over to his bed and sat down on the chair beside it, looking at him none too thrilled to be there. "How are you?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Fine. Sept for a few broken bones in my arm and a big nasty bruise on my back," he chuckled.

"That's supposed to be funny?" she asked.

He smirked. "No… I suppose not," he said. "Say, why don't you come over here and kiss it better?" he grinned, obviously joking, but still admiring her.

She felt a shudder threatening to go up her spine at the thought of kissing Urquhart, but suppressed it and merely shook her head. "So, when do you get out?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Not long," he said. "Probably tomorrow morning," he said with a slight shrug, wincing when his back ached terribly. "Madame Pomfrey wants to keep me here to make sure my back doesn't get worse," he said.

She nodded, looking at him, then at his cast arm curiously. She glanced up for a moment, only to see Severus passing by, a frown on his features when he glanced at Lilia seated with Urquhart.

For some reason, even though she wasn't doing anything wrong really, she felt like a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar. She felt like she was being some doting girlfriend on Urquhart, while already being with Severus.

Sighing, she looked at the boy. "I have to go, I've got to see somebody and I have other things I need to get done," she said. "Hope you feel better," she said, standing from the chair.

"That's it?" he asked in surprise. "Why can't you go see this person, then come back here and do your homework here?"

"Not homework. Important things," she insisted.

He frowned. "Is it your boyfriend?"

She nodded a little. "Yea… you could say that," she said.

He nodded. "Well, I guess I can't keep you here then. Come visit before bed though?" he asked her hopefully.

She sighed and then nodded. "A short visit though," she clarified.

He grinned. "Fair enough," he said.

She waved quickly and headed out.

Stupid Urquhart! Asking her to come see him in the infirmary. What an arse! He knew she was seeing someone, knew she probably had other things that needed to get done that day, but he'd still asked.

She had herself to blame to. She'd been the one to go after all.

Groaning, she pressed her forehead to the cold stone wall inside one of the halls after walking a bit and closed her eyes, frowning. "Stupid…" she muttered.

"Something wrong, Miss. Gunner?" came that familiar velvety voice.

She looked up to see Severus looking at her expectantly, his back straight and rigid as usual.

"Nothing, professor…" she said half heartedly. "Just… stupid teenager stuff," she said.

He frowned. "Like?"

She swallowed, feeling odd speaking like this to him but decided it would be stupid to just drop the subject. "I feel like I'm… doing something that irritates someone I care about," she said carefully so if anyone passed by it wouldn't seem too weird or inappropriate, though it certainly felt beyond weird for her. "He won't tell me himself that he doesn't like me doing certain things…" she said, eyeing Severus and glancing towards the direction of the infirmary. "However, I feel like he wants me to stop," she said.

He raised a brow. "And you think he should order you around like some dog?" he questioned.

She looked a little taken aback by that statement and then shook her head.

"Well then, suffice to say, I think if you don't want him ordering you around, then stop foolishly making it difficult for him not to," he said calmly, a faint smirk on his face.

She looked at him and felt relief go through her. He wasn't mad at her for going to see Urquhart then. At least not too much.

Stupid Dawn. Putting ideas into her head.

She nodded and smiled faintly, side stepping him as he watched her. "Thankyou… good day professor," she said, heading towards the Slytherin common room.

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(( Okay! SO! This chapter WOULD have been longer because I had to the day off, HOWEVER someone called in sick, and now I must go, and I hope you guys don't mind the shortness of it today I have to go wooorrkkkk unexpectedly -o- Good thing I got up early enough to write SOMETHING before I left :P Anyways! Excuse any misspellings, or whatever :P Please review though xD Later my lovely readers who I love so much! :D (even those that don't ever review xD) ))


	40. At the Christmas Party

(( Alrighty my fellow readers! J So I am back from a long day at work and a long night of stressing over registering for University courses -o- SUCH a pain in the ass. Half the mandatory courses are at the same tie as other mandatory courses… I feel like I might need to borrow Hermione's Time Turner for my second year at uni -_- ANYWHO! Please enjoy Chapter FORTY! :D Yay, lol I'll be even more excited to hit the 50 mark xD

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the affiliated works. If I did, I would be mad rich and not worrying over registering for University xD fml ! Lol ))

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Lilia walked past Irma Pince's desk in the library, glancing over at her and nodded her head respectfully when they made eye contact, Madam nodding back quietly, her face set the way it always was; like some underfed vulture. She liked Madam Pince more than most teachers. The woman had an astounding care for her books, and seemed to enjoy all forms of literature. Lilia felt the same way, very protective of the few books she owned, and enjoyed reading often, so in her mind, Pince was alright. That, and the woman never spoke to anyone she didn't feel obliged to.

Lilia got the book she needed off the shelf, heading back to where she had been studying a moment ago.

Sitting down, she opened up to the page she needed in order to finish her Transfiguration essay, when someone stopped nearby her. She ignored it for a moment but when she heard them clear their throat, she looked up to see none other than Harper.

"Hey, Lilia," he said and nodded towards her book. "Transfiguration essay?"

She nodded soundlessly.

"Mind if I join you?" he asked, pointing at his potions books. "Slughorn's given us quite the assignment," he said, pulling out a chair next to her without waiting for her to say if he could join or not. He sighed, sitting down next to her and looked at her. "How are you feeling?"

She frowned. "Fine. Why?"

He shrugged. "Urquhart got his arm broken in two places when he hit the ring yesterday during the game. I thought you would be concerned," he smirked.

She shrugged. "He's a big boy. He can take care of himself," she said with a bit of irritation.

He chuckled quietly. "Ouch, Gunner. That's no way to treat your boyfriend," he grinned.

"He isn't my boyfriend."

He raised a brow. "No? Half of Slytherin is under the opposite impression."

"Well then Slytherins aren't half as intelligent as they give themselves credit for, are they?" she calmly retorted.

He smirked. "I suppose… So, where's your friend? Pyrites?"

She shrugged, looking up at him. "Dawn doesn't study," she explained, as if this should be no surprise.

He nodded. "She doesn't study at all?"

She shook her head. "Well…" she thought about it. "She studies some things, but not academic stuff, that's for sure," she said and smirked slightly at the thought.

He chuckled. "Boys then, hmm?"

She nodded, glancing at him. "Yea…" she said.

He nodded, opening his books. "What type is she into?"

She shrugged. "I…don't know…" she then frowned, looking at Harper curiously. "Harper, are you insinuating that you're interested in Dawn?" she asked.

He looked at Lilia and smirked. "Dawn's good looking, a thoroughbred among wizards and witches, well bred, wealthy. Why wouldn't I be interested in her?" he smirked.

She looked surprised that someone would actually be attracted to Dawn, or atleast in Harper's case it seemed more to her status than her actually.

She knew Dawn was very pretty, and she was actually pretty good at academics even if she didn't study regularly, but she'd never seen Dawn make a move on anyone before, so the thought of Harper and Dawn possibly going out came as a surprising thought to her. She was about to ask something else when she heard an outraged voice.

"He's at perfect liberty to kiss whoever he likes. I really couldn't care less," the female voice announced.

Lilia frowned, recognizing it from somewhere.

Clearly, Harper knew who it was, glancing around the edge of the bookshelf to see, then rolled his eyes and went into his own book.

"Was I under the impression he and I would be attending Slughorn's Christmas part together? Yes. Now, given the circumstances I've had to make other arrangements."

"Have you?"

Lilia's eyes widened slightly seeing Granger of all people, with Potter in tow, creating such a racket in the library. She went to her book then, seeing the two coming closer and closer slowly while Granger put away some books. She did not want to be recognized right now. Calmly, she flipped through to another section of the book, half listening to Granger rant to her friend.

"Yes," Granger continued. "Why?"

"Well I just thought seeing as neither of us can go with who we would really like to, we should go together. As friends," Potter suggested.

"Why didn't I think of that?" Granger groaned.

"Who are you going with?" Potter asked curiously.

"Um.. It's a surprise," Granger said hesitantly. "Anyway it's you we've got to worry about. You can't just take anyone," she pointed out. She glanced in the other direction of Lilia, then moved towards Harry, her back facing towards that same direction. "See that girl over there?" she asked, her voice lowering.

Lilia could still hear though, Granger and Potter standing much closer to where she and Harper were trying to study.

"That's Romilda Vane. Apparently she's been trying to smuggle you a love potion," she said under her breath.

"Really?" Potter asked with interest.

Lilia glanced over at Potter and then at Hermione, moving to cover one side of her face with her hand, pretending to rest it there on the desk while she studied… sort of.

"Hey," Granger frowned. "She's only interested in you because she thinks you're the Chosen One," she pointed out.

"But I am the Chosen One," Potter whispered in a rather proud way.

Granger frowned and whacked him over the head with her parchment, a cross look on her face.

Lilia felt a smile tug on her features, the action reminding her vaguely of Dawn and her mother. She glanced over for a moment, but then looked at Harper's parchment paper, not wanting to seem like she was eavesdropping, on Granger and Potter especially.

"Kay, sorry. Uh, kidding. Uh… I'll… ask someone I like. Someone cool," he nodded.

Granger seemed a bit more pleased with this response than the previous few, so she nodded, going back to her book keeping. Potter in the meantime, turned and went elsewhere, only glancing at Lilia for a moment and nodding in her direction in acknowledgement.

Harper raised a brow and looked at Lilia. "Gunner, you friends with Potter now?" he asked with a serious frown.

She shook her head, frowning. "No. We've only spoken a few times is all," she said. "Besides, I can speak to whoever I like, can't I?" she asked.

He frowned. "But Potter? I don't think Urquhart will like knowing about that one."

She frowned at him. "It seems like most Slytherins have a problem with my background, so I see no problem in talking to others who don't look at me as what my parents make me," she said in annoyance. "As for Urquhart, I don't care what he likes or doesn't like I'm not his pet so I am at liberty to talk to whoever I want to."

Harper frowned, but then nodded. "Fair enough…" he said. "I suppose mud bloods don't get much choice as far as social circles go," he muttered.

She glowered at him as he went back to his work, and she stood, gathering her things. "I think I'll go then…" she said, stuffing her books into her bag.

Harper glanced up at her. "You're leaving already?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yea. I think I would rather study alone," she said and frowned at him. "Besides, I feel like looking for Dawn," she said.

"Mind if I join you?" he asked, reaching for his book to pack it up.

Lilia fumed inside and crossed her arms, glaring at him. "Yes, in fact I do mind. I'm sick of you boys acting like you can just do as you please. I did not invite you to sit here and study with me, I will speak to whomever I want to, regardless of what you upper year assholes think, and I will not under any circumstances introduce you to Dawn, directly or indirectly. Do I make myself clear?" she snapped.

Harper frowned. "What bit your ass this morning?" he muttered, turning away from her.

She glared, not caring that she had offended an upper year classmate. Harper was a typical Slytherin ass hole in her mind, and she wanted to leave immediately.

A hand came down upon Lilia's shoulder and she looked up over her shoulder into the vulture like face of the Hogwarts Librarian, Madam Pince.

"I think it's time you left the library, Miss. Gunner," she snapped, tugging on her shoulder and directing her towards the exit, a deep frown upon her features.

Lilia glared at anyone who glanced over at her, heading towards the door and stormed out, not wanting to spend another moment in the library when Harper was in there still.

Once Lilia stepped out of the library, she headed down the hall, turning a corner.

And nearly walked straight into Luna Lovegood.

From what Lilia could recall, Luna was in her fifth year as well, friends with Potter and the rest of his troupe… and was nicknamed Loony for being positively insane.

"Sorry," Lilia said, moving to get past her.

Luna looked at her curiously. "You look dreadful, Lilia," she said.

Lilia raised a brow. "You know my name?" she asked.

Luna nodded. "Of course I do. You're the Muggle born Slytherin," she said in her funny little way. "Not too often that happens," she smiled a little.

Lilia frowned. "Yes well, it's for good reason it shouldn't," she muttered.

Luna tilted her head. "Why do you say that?"

Lilia glowered. "Slytherins are all pure bloods. I'm different from them all, it was a mistake to put me in there," she snapped.

Luna smiled and shrugged. "I suppose…" she said calmly. "But, it's only natural for people to not like something that's different," she pointed out. "I don't mind though…" she smiled. "Even us different people have someone who can look past that," she said.

Lilia frowned, but realized she really didn't mind or care either what Harper or any other Slytherin's thought. She had Dawn as her friend, and Severus as her… lover? She didn't need to feel accepted by anyone but those two. Besides, the Weasley twins seemed friendly enough whenever she encountered them, and now Luna didn't seem to mind her either.

"I suppose…" Lilia finally said.

Luna smiled at that, tilting her head. "Suppose what?" she asked.

Lilia raised a brow and shook her head. "Never mind, see you later, Luna," she said.

Luna nodded, giving her a funny little wave and turned to go.

Lilia glanced over her shoulder as the blonde Ravenclaw walked away. Odd, she found she didn't mind Luna either. She seemed harmless enough, and the things she had just said there seemed to calm Lilia down just enough to think clearly. Perhaps Luna was right. She didn't need to be like all the other Slytherins. At least, she didn't need to spend her time trying to fit in. She was Muggle born, and had what she desired at this time in her life. Who cares what Malfoy or Harper or anyone else thought of her. It didn't matter to her.

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Severus frowned as he watched Lilia fix her essay for her D.A.D.A. assignment he'd assigned a few days ago.

She sat up off his bed and read it over, then looked at him and held it out. "Is that better?" she asked.

He took it, glancing at her, then scanned over the contents of her essay, reaching the end of the parchment he'd spent the last forty minutes fixing up with her so her mark wouldn't falter from what it currently was. "It's fine," he commented.

She nodded, putting it away and sighed, looking down at her bag, her hair falling over her face as she closed her bag and then sat down on the edge of the bed, Severus on the other side. She could feel him watching her.

"Why couldn't you do it yourself?" he asked with a frown. "Not once have you ever requested my assistance with any sort of homework so far this year. Why this assignment?" he asked.

She looked at him and then shrugged. "I couldn't focus for the last few days," she said quietly.

He frowned. "Don't lie to me," he ordered.

She was silent for a minute and then sighed, closing her eyes. "Why was I put into Slytherin?" she asked him, frowning when she opened he eyes and turned to watch him. "Me? A Muggle born witch? What could the Sorting Hat have possibly seen in me to put me into a house full of pure bloods who would only despise me when they found out I was a… mud blood," she spat the word.

He glared. "Don't use that term," he said, irritation and discomfort seeping into his voice. "Why are you asking such a ridiculous question anyways?"

"Because everyone thinks it," she snapped, looking at him angrily. "I'm a Muggle born witch. I don't belong in Slytherin. I'm not pure blood, I'm not extraordinarily intelligent, I'm not a leader by any means. I don't possess the qualities of a Slytherin, so why me? Why put me into this house?"

Severus frowned, standing from where he had been seated on his bed and approached her. "You're far more like a Slytherin than you give yourself credit for," he told her. "You forget Slytherin's always think before they act, the way I've seen you do most of the time. You're exceptionally bright in Potions and Defence Against the Dark Arts in comparison to some of your classmates…" he said calmly. "You're achievement oriented from what I've seen, shrewd at times, and you have an air about you several Slytherins would die to possess," he said with a slight smirk. "From what I know, you can also be very stubborn… not only that… you have extraordinary talents for summoning magic without saying the incantation aloud. I think that alone should suffice for you being a powerful witch, regardless of your background," he said.

She looked up at him quietly. "You mean you like me because of all those things?"

He nodded.

"Not because I'm like Lily?" she whispered.

He frowned. "Stop saying her name…" he commanded. "She isn't important now," he told her firmly.

She looked surprised, her stomach flopping somewhere deep inside her at the tone with which he'd said Lily wasn't important, at least not right now.

He looked somewhat surprised after saying it as well, but turned away. "You're perfect the way you are. What other people say is not important. So long as you know you are exactly where you belong," he said, looking over at her.

She watched him for a moment. "You really think that way?"

He nodded and smirked faintly. "You belong in Slytherin…" he assured her. "I knew it from the moment I saw you and realized how strong you were to numb yourself to any pain, refusing to give in to emotion. You think before you feel…" he murmured, reaching out to touch her hair. "If Salazar Slytherin could see you right now, I wonder if you would think so lowly of all Muggle born witches and wizards," he smirked.

She was shocked at that statement, floored almost that someone as much of a Slytherin as Severus would think so… highly of her. She swallowed and looked away. "You're just saying that," she blurted.

He smirked again. "No," he said, taking her arm gently and pulling her closer, leaning down, "I'm not," he murmured, kissing her very gently for a moment.

She blushed, looking up at him when he pulled away, feeling somewhat better about the whole thing now. "I… I suppose… I can believe that…" she murmured, looking down.

He nodded, putting a hand on her cheek and stroked her skin gently with his thumb.

She sighed then, glancing at the time. "I have to go," she said reluctantly.

He frowned. "For what?"

She rolled her eyes. "The Slug Club Christmas Party…" she said.

He frowned. "For?"

She shrugged. "I was invited to attend."

"By who?"

She raised a brow. "Dawn. She attends occasionally when she's able to. She said she wanted to bring me along," she said.

He raised a brow. "As a date?"

She glowered. "As a friend," she huffed, gathering her things. "I'll see you later," she said, heading for the door. "Besides, maybe a bit of a social gathering will do me some good," she shrugged. "Granger will be there," she pointed out. "So the focus won't be on me and my background as much," she smirked. "We'll share the limelight in that view," she shrugged.

He rolled his eyes and motioned for her to go then. "Goodnight, Miss. Gunner," he said calmly.

She nodded. "Goodnight Professor."

And with that, she was gone.

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Lilia watched as other people mingled with one another in the room, holding glasses with drinks in hand, laughing and smiling. She wasn't among them though, not knowing anyone there other than Dawn who had excused herself momentarily to use the loo when Harper had tried to come over and speak to her.

Lilia had felt smug when Dawn declined his suggestion of a date over the holidays. She'd obviously told Dawn about Harper, and Dawn, being the friend she was had very sarcastically smiled and said she would rather eat the innards of a unicorn than date him. The remark had nearly made Lilia laugh. Nearly.

Needless to say, Harper didn't stick around after that, minding his own business with other guests.

She looked to her side, wondering when the red headed Slytherin would get back, only to see Hermione Granger making her way over, looking rather flustered.

The wild haired blonde looked up, her eyes widening slightly at the sight of Lilia. "I didn't know you were in the Slug Club," she said.

"I'm not," she replied calmly. "I was invited by a friend. Dawn Pyrites," she said.

Hermione nodded. "Oh, I see," she nodded. She looked down at Lilia's black form fitting dress which looked like some sort of silky or satin material. "You look lovely," she said.

Lilia glanced down at her outfit and then at Hermione. "Thanks. You do too," she said.

Hermione sighed. "Apparently Cormac thinks so too," she sighed.

Lilia raised a brow. "Cormac?"

"McLaggen," Hermione specified.

Lilia nodded. "Ah… him," she said. She'd heard about him from several people over the years, how when he fancied a girl he didn't back down until he saw no chance at all. "Why doesn't he go bug his own date?" she asked.

Hermione winced. "I am his date," she sighed.

Lilia nearly chocked on her water. "Well, you're in a spot of trouble I'd say," she said.

"Why's that?" Hermione asked in worry.

Lilia pointed past Hermione. "It looks like he's skulking around in search of you already," she said.

Hermione glanced over her shoulder. "Oh drat," she hissed, looking around nervously.

Lilia felt bad for the girl, the thought of wanting to get away from Quinn whenever her bothered her coning to mind. She took Hermione's arm and pointed to a series of curtains. "I think that's about the safest you'll get to be," she said. "He won't know it's you unless he sees you go straight in to hide," she shrugged. "That's the best I've got to offer," she said.

Hermione looked at Lilia in surprise. "Thanks," she said, nodding and hurried off.

Lilia watched her go, truly feeling for the girl as she made her great escape from the McLaggen boy. When he passed by, Lilia shot him a nasty look when he wasn't looking, not wanting to direct attention to herself by any means.

"What the devil is he doing here?" Dawn asked suddenly.

Lilia turned, surprised to see her friend as if she'd been there the entire time. "Who?" she asked.

Dawn pointed with her glass in the direction of none other than Severus Snape making his way through the party.

They made eye contact for a moment, but he seemed not to be there to get her or speak to her, so the lump making it's way up Lilia's throat only seconds ago disappeared, much relief to her. "Dunno. Maybe he's here to continue making life miserable for Potter? He's here," she shrugged.

Dawn smirked. "I know. He's part of the Slug Club unfortunately. Honestly, Slughorn treats him like the biggest lollipop in the candy store. Ridiculous if you ask me," she said.

Lilia shrugged, covering her mouth when a yawn threatened to come out.

She felt her eyes continuing to draw to where Severus was, in fact slipping behind the curtains where Potter was now. It looked like he was saying something to McLaggen, who'd suddenly gone very pale. Probably in trouble, no doubt.

She glanced over at Potter when he stopped and watched as Severus went to speak to him. Just like she'd thought. Turning away, she went back to talking with Dawn, only to be cut off when there was a slight commotion.

"Take your hands off me you filthy Squib!" came a familiar sharp voice.

Lilia frowned, peeking over the heads of some of the other guests.

"Professor Slughorn, sir, I've just discovered this boy lurking in an upstairs corridor. He claims to have been invited to your party," Filch said in his usual gravely voice.

"Okay okay! I was gate crashing!" Draco exclaimed in obvious irritation. "Happy?"

Severus frowned, stepping over. "I'll escort him out…" he said calmly.

Draco looked up at Severus with an intense expression. "Certainly, professor…" he said finally, turning to go, Severus following.

Lilia watched the two go, feeling jealousy and anger when Draco left with Severus, hating how no matter what, at this point, Draco came before her. Not by choice, but because of that stupid vow she had overheard a few months before, regarding his safety in relation to the Dark Lord and his plans when it came to Draco becoming a Death Eater.

She wished that Draco had never existed. He didn't deserve to have someone like Severus protecting him. He just abused and neglected that safety net which left her angered. He didn't deserve to be who he was. It just made her angry.

Shaking the feeling away for the time being, she looked at Dawn. "I think I might go soon," she said. "I feel tired," she shrugged.

Dawn nodded. "Me too. It's so late right now," she chuckled.

Lilia nodded.

Within minutes, the two were leaving the party, saying goodnight and Happy Christmas to Slughorn.

"So, what are you doing for Christmas?" she asked.

Lilia shrugged. "Dunno yet. Probably staying here," she said, looking at Dawn. "You?"

Dawn shrugged. "I dunno. If you stay, I want to stay too," she smirked.

Lilia raised a brow. "You sure you're not getting a little too obsessed with me?" she smirked. "You like to hang around me an awful lot," she pointed out.

Dawn sniggered. "Yea, well, it isn't usual for me to have a friend for as long as I've had you around," she shrugged. "Besides, you're much cooler than most Slytherin girls," she said.

Lilia frowned. "How do you mean that?"

Dawn shrugged. "You don't try to be all snotty and mean. You just mind your own business and speak your mind. Very head strong," she nodded. "I like that about you. You're very blunt and to the point," she smirked.

Lilia snorted.

Dawn laughed hysterically. "Omigod Lilia, don't ever snort again, it really doesn't suit you!" she laughed, doubling over with Lilia who was covering her mouth, her eyes tearing up with how hard they were laughing.

For the moment, Lilia forgot her anger towards Draco, just enjoying the normal and amusing moment with her friend.

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Severus sighed, sitting on his bed. Two thoughts were running through his head. The first, immediate and pressing thought being that Draco needed to grow up and understand that everyone needed help and protection sometimes. He was a mere child who didn't realize the consequences of what he'd gotten himself into, and for that, he would need to be taught and fast before something bad happened.

The second thought being, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop thinking of how Lilia had looked tonight. Such a stupid and impudent thought to be having at that moment, but that dress upon her, which had hugged her slender figure so perfect, as though painted right on her. And her hair, loosely waved for tonight's party, her makeup very slight but enough to give her green eyes that intensity that had nearly brought him to a stand still in the middle of the party, hence why he'd had to look away immediately and not dare to return his gaze.

He looked up thought when he heard a knock. Standing, he went to open the door, letting the one person he desired to see at that moment most, into his bed chamber.

Lilia stepped into his arms and frowned, looking up at him. "I don't like what you and Draco are up to, I'll have you know," she said.

He raised a brow. "What brought this on?"

"Dawn says she likes me being blunt and to the point. So I'm doing so and telling you right now I don't like it. I didn't say it before, even though I made it obvious, but now I'm telling you. I hate every second of knowing you're protecting that brat of a wizard and he just rejects your help," she said.

He rolled his eyes. "Miss. Gunner, the matter between me and Draco doesn't concern you," he said.

"Even so, I'm telling you I don't like it one bit."

"I must do as Dumbledore asks me to," he told her, making her sit on his bed, his eyes for a moment wandering over her black clad self, then back up to her eyes. "You know this," he said firmly.

She sighed and looked down. "I know… but I don't like it still…" she muttered.

He almost smiled at her childish attitude for that moment and sighed, leaning down to kiss her forehead. He then leaned down to her ear and whispered something. "Just remember that no matter what happens you're the most important person in my life now," he said at last.

She felt a deep flutter in her heart and deep inside her very soul at his words. She lifted her head and slid her arms around his neck, pressing her lips to his, Severus returning the kiss with much intensity, lifting her off the bed and into his arms right away. When they parted, she looked up at him, brushing back a bit of his hair from his face with a gentle hand. "You're the most important person in my life too…" she whispered.

He looked at her quietly and leaned down, kissing her again, pulling her so close that they were pressed firmly against one another again. His right hand slid up her back to gently tug at the zipper on her dress. When she made no move to stop him, he slid her strap down slowly, gently laying her on her back upon his bed.

Suffice to say, Lilia refused to leave that night, sleeping in Severus' arms again, this time, no irritating dress to restrict her from feeling as close as possible with her professor and lover.

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(( WOOT! Chapter 40! :D Yes -w- there was lemon at the end, but nothing described :P Just a little sentence to indicate they DID have sex for a second time xD That way noone is offended or grossed out and YOU Nyhratak don't have to skip over anything xD It's just briefly implied.. Sortof? XD ANYWHO! Please review and lemme know what you all thought J I greatly enjoy hearing from you all ^w^ Toodloo then while I go to attempt to fix my Uni schedule up some more xDDD ))


	41. Denied Permission

(( I'm SOOOO happy! Everyone really enjoyed the previous chapter ^_^ I am so glad. I felt a bit odd at the end when Sevvy was all intimate and affectionate towards Lilia BUT I hope people liked that little bit too : 3 Anywho! Here we are with chapter 41 ^^

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter or the affiliated works. If I did, well… I currently wouldn't be worrying over the 6000 plus dollars I owe this coming year for schooling 0w0 -_- ))

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Severus looked at the way her hair fell over her bare backside and over her shoulders, onto the silky sheets beneath them both. The top comforter stopped just below her waist where she slept next to him, her head resting gently upon his chest in the early morning hours.

Severus reached up, gently stroking her hair, watching as the fine black strands fell through his fingers like a waterfall of mesmerizing quality. He then looked at the crown of her head, a faint sigh escaping him. It was almost time to wake her and tell her to go.

It was hard to do so. It always was. Either to make her go, or to leave her behind. He'd been denied the love of a woman so long ago, and had not loved since, in turn, never being loved back. But now, here was this one girl, no more than fifteen who he loved and who loved him back. A girl no more than fifteen who he wanted to sleep next to each night, kiss everyday and hold every moment.

He closed his eyes, pressing his nose into her hair gently, inhaling her scent, wanting to memorize it for eternity. His hand slid down her back, wanting to memorize every curvature upon her body. He wanted to keep her forever. He knew he did. He would never admit how much he loved her to anyone, but he knew what he felt was a love he doubted would ever fade.

The love he held for Lily had always stuck around. He still cared about her even after she was dead, but he had stopped being infatuated and completely in love with her a long time ago, he realized. He had moved on when she married James Potter, coming to accept that she did not love him and never would the way he had her. Somehow, that thought didn't bother him at all. Perhaps because all the love he now felt was for Lilia Gunner, the young girl who had completely stolen his heart without meaning to.

He glanced at the time, knowing he absolutely had to wake her from her slumber now. He put a hand on her bare shoulder and gently shook her, waiting until she stirred. "You must get dressed," he said quietly.

Lilia opened her eyes slowly and sleepily looked up at him.

He cursed the very gods who had created Lilia to look so lovely and desirable even when just waking up.

"It's almost time for everyone to be waking up," he told her. "You should go," he said.

She groaned and shut her eyes tightly, laying back down, tucking her arms underneath herself for more warmth. "Five more minutes…" she murmured, already back to sleep by the time she finished her request.

He sighed, closing his eyes for a moment, then sat up and rubbed her back. "Lilia," he said calmly, watching her.

She sighed and opened her eyes to the sound of his voice and looked up at him. "Really..?" she asked.

He nodded, a firm expression set upon his face.

She sighed, closing her eyes for a moment, then opened them and sat up, holding the blanket up to cover herself as she sat up and looked at him. "Alright… I'm up…" she said, yawning softly, closing her eyes and resting her forehead against his shoulder gently. It was always so much harder to get up in the winter than in the summer. It must be how dark it was in the morning and how bloody cold it got.

Severus sighed and put an arm around her waist, making it clear she really did need to get dressed and leave before other professors got up and saw her leaving his room.

She nodded, wordlessly climbing from the bed and pulled on her dress from the night before.

He pulled on his own pants, walking her to the door, following close behind while he zipped up her dress for her. When they reached the door, he squeezed her hand, letting go and watching her walk away down the hall slowly.

Lilia glanced back, a slight smile tugging up the corner of her mouth as she walked away. When she turned the corner away from his view though, she sighed, her smile fading. She ran a hand along the wall while she walked, slightly unhappy thoughts tickling the edge of her mind.

She wished more than anything that she were older. If she was older, she could be a teacher here at Hogwarts, or something of the sort, being able to sleep in the same bed as Severus, join him at dinner and breakfast, walk the halls by his side, all without a second glance. She wouldn't have to keep sneaking around with him, wouldn't have to keep endangering his job and so on. Their relationship wouldn't have to keep being a secret to everyone they met.

She just wished things could be easier…

Making her way up to the Slytherin common room, she groaned and climbed into her bed, unzipping her dress with a bit of difficulty and let it fall to the floor, dropping onto her bed. She closed her eyes, pulling the blanket out from under her, then covering herself and sighed, wanting to go back to sleep.

"Naughty naughty," came a mischievous little voice from nearby.

Lilia groaned and pulled the pillow out and covered her head.

Dawn giggled softly from where she lay. "Very naughty indeed. I can only imagine what you were up to, what with you disappearing on me again, only to come back wearing last night's clothes," she whispered.

Lilia shrugged from where she lay. "Use your imagination then… just let me sleep a few more minutes…" she mumbled from under her pillow.

Dawn laughed softly. "Alright fine, I guess I'll just wait until breakfast to pester you then," she whispered.

"Please do…" Lilia said and with that, fell back to a blissful sleep.

Dawn smiled weakly in the dark, looking at her friend where she lay, feeling slightly disheartened, though she merely closed her eyes and got some more sleep, ignoring the inkling deep down inside.

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Lilia awoke a little before 7, rolling over and frowned when she felt an obstruction. Opening her eyes, she looked up to see Dawn leaning over her, crouching on her bed. "What?" she croaked.

Dawn grinned. "It's a half hour until breakfast begins," she said. "Come on, get your lazy behind out of bed," she said, poking Lilia softly and climbed off the bed.

Lilia sighed, getting up and rubbed her eyes, looking at Dawn. "You seem awfully excited this morning," she said.

Dawn smirked. "Just happy to see my bestie in one piece," she winked.

Lilia raised a brow and sighed, getting up from the bed and reached for her clothes.

Dawn sat on her own bed, already dressed as she waited for Lilia to get ready.

When they were both ready, they proceeded out of the dormitory and into the common room, Dawn saying hello to a few of the other Slytherins and then headed out of the common room with her friend. "So," she grinned.

Lilia glanced at Dawn as they walked and then groaned. "Oh god please don't," she smirked. "It's too early for your interrogation tactics," she said.

Dawn laughed. "Aww but it's so fun to torment you and try to weasel information out of you," she grinned.

Lilia sighed. "Fun to you maybe," she shot back with a grin.

Dawn laughed. "Alright, so back to the important matters," she said. "Are you coming over for the holidays?" she asked. "Mum's been wanting to see you again," she said.

Lilia shrugged. "I have to make sure it's alright with someone," she said.

Dawn looked at her. "Your boy-toy?"

She looked at Dawn and then rolled her eyes. "No, just someone," she said absently.

Dawn shrugged. "Alright," she said.

Lilia nodded, proceeding into the Great Hall, hoping Severus would let her visit the Pyrites in the upcoming holidays.

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"No," he said firmly that afternoon.

The classroom was empty, and Lilia had come to see him in the D.A.D.A. office in order to ask about visiting Dawn and her family.

"Why not?" Lilia asked.

"It's dangerous. I don't want you away from Hogwarts in the upcoming holidays," he said calmly.

She glowered at him, crossing her arms in a sulking way. "She's my friend," she demanded.

"The answer remains no," he told her, reading over a piece of parchment. "You don't know what might happen over the holidays. It's better if you stay here where you have protection."

She glared. "Oh, and you know what will happen?" she asked.

He glanced up at her, a serious expression on his face.

She hesitated and then looked away stubbornly. "Fine… but you're staying here for the holidays as well," she said.

He nodded. "I am," he said.

She was surprised but figured if he spent the last few years here, he would this one too she supposed. Biting her lower lip softly a few times, Lilia uncrossed her arms and sighed. "Fine then," she said calmly. With that, she turned to go, slightly irritated by the unfair treatment of being forced to stay the holidays at Hogwarts, but she supposed if Severus was staying, she wanted to stay as well. Perhaps Dawn could stay the holidays too…

Walking to the common room, she saw Dawn and sat down next to her with a heavy sigh.

Dawn glanced up at her and smirked. "I'm guessing that was a no?" she asked, Lilia having told her a little earlier she would ask between classes.

Lilia nodded, looking at her. "There's no way you can stay?" she asked.

Dawn thought about it. "I suppose I could ask my parents to change their plans so I can stay here," she said thoughtfully.

Lilia smiled. "Yea?"

Dawn nodded. "Of course. If they know you're staying, they'll probably let me stay too," she nodded.

Lilia smiled at her friend, relieved that she might possibly get to stay for the holidays.

"So, is your boyfriend staying here too then?" Dawn asked.

Lilia nodded hesitantly. "Yea…"

Dawn grinned mischievously. "Know what that means?"

Lilia shrugged, not sure what it meant at all.

"It means there will be far less Slytherins here for the holidays since most go home, meaning it'll be easier for me to figure out who he is," she said, waggling her eyebrows.

Lilia groaned, resting her head on the back of the couch, a small laugh escaping her. "Is it your life's mission to figure out who I'm seeing?" she asked.

Dawn smirked. "You bet. It's a true sign of friendship for me to be trying to figure out who you're seeing," she grinned.

Lilia sighed in a rather amused way. "Sure…" she said quietly.

She found herself wondering how Dawn would react if she ever learned who she was seeing. What would she think of her if she knew she was seeing Severus Snape, their head of house, and Defence Against the Dark Arts professor. The thought sent qualms through her stomach, making it twist uncomfortably at the thought. Sighing, she moved to rest her head on Dawn's shoulder. "I'm taking a nap until potions," she said.

Dawn smirked, patting Lilia's head. "Sure, sure, sleeping beauty," she said, watching her for a second, then turned back to what she had been reading before.

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(( Okay! I know it's a short chapter again xD BUT I have to go to work cause I slept in, leaving me with very little time to write this chapter xD Arghhhh ANYways, tomorrow I shall try not to sleep in and I will give you all a longer chapter again :P As for now, bye bye :D I must run along! Please review :D ))


	42. Making Plans

(( Heehee! Everyone seemed to really really enjoy the last chapter :D Very happy about that ^^ However, one reviewer commented on why Lilia wants to hide her relationship and yet gives Dawn actual hints. I'm just basing Lilia off myself in several aspects, and one aspect I enjoy is giving the actual little hints and enjoying watching my friends try desperately to figure out who I'm crushing on at the moment (not dating, I never actually date xD) Anyways! That's all it is xD Just a simple reason, it's a musing to Lilia to watch Dawn try her hardest to figure out the big secret lmao :P Anyways! Here is chapter 42 :D Enjoy! ^w^

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the related works… or Severus Snape (how unfortunate…) or Lucius Malfoy… (*sigh* I can live without that but it still kinda sucks xD) and I do not own many many more things I wish I did xD Alas, that is life, no! xD ))

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"No more classes!" Dawn cheered, running down the empty hallways of Hogwarts that late morning, jumping every so often in excitement.

Lilia grinned, walking at a reasonable pace behind her wild and excited friend. "Not until term resumes in January," she pointed out.

Dawn huffed. "Don't ruin my mood," she sulked.

Lilia grinned. "Sorry."

Dawn grinned then. "Two whole weeks of no classes, us getting to do whatever we like here at the school," she grinned.

Lilia smiled back. "Yea. I suppose that'll be fun," she agreed.

Dawn smirked. "So, you finally going to introduce me to this secret man in your life?" she asked, linking her arm with Lilia's strolling out into the winter wonderland blanketing the surface of the grass.

Lilia grinned. "Hmm… what would you think if I told you, you've already met him? Indirectly, of course," she said.

Dawn gaped at Lilia. "Whaaat? So he IS in our year?" she asked.

Lilia was about to grin and add even more confusion by stating he had already graduated. But she stopped herself before even beginning the sentence, realizing several things at once.

If she told Dawn he already graduated, she would think something was up right away. Not only had Lilia been sneaking away to see Severus late at night several times already, but Dawn KNEW she was with him. If Dawn found out who Lilia was seeing had already graduated from Hogwarts, it would narrow down the list to a professor. And there was only one professor who was tall, a Slytherin, had black hair, and was in detention a LOT.

Her face paled as she walked alongside Dawn, falling silent.

Dawn raised a brow. "Hello?"

Lilia glanced at Dawn and then smiled weakly, shaking her head. "No, no. He's older than us both," she said.

Dawn sighed, flicking a bit of her hair back. "This is getting tougher and tougher to figure out. I feel like I'm running around in circles when you give me new hints. It's so difficult," she complained, clambering up onto a snow capped ledge and balanced, walking along it's edge.

Lilia looked up at her friend, walking beside the wall Dawn was walking along carefully. "Well, I suppose if it keeps confusing you, it'll be even more exciting when you figure it out, don't you think?" she asked.

Dawn snorted. "Yea right. I'll just be like 'oh god finally!' and then I'll roll over and go back to sleep," she said with a grin,

"Mhmm. Don't lie. Figuring out this secret is all you live for now," Lilia said jokingly.

"Oh yes. Yes of course my life's mission is to figure out who stole the heart of my best friend," she laughed.

Lilia smiled at that, always having enjoyed Dawn's sarcasm.

"Alright, so, what are you getting me this Christmas?" Dawn asked, hopping down to where Lilia stood, standing up and looking at her.

Lilia frowned. "I'm not telling. It's supposed to be a surprise," she said.

Dawn made a face. "No fair."

"I doubt you would tell me what you got for me, right?" Lilia asked, raising a brow.

Dawn shrugged. "Maybe I would, or wouldn't. If you told me what you got for me then you might find out what your present is," she grinned.

Lilia smirked. "No, that's alright. I can wait unlike some people," she grinned.

Dawn stuck her tongue out at Lilia, picking up some snow and tossed it at her. "You're just so cruel sometimes."

"Indeed, I suppose I am," Lilia smiled and nodded, picking up some snow and tossed it back at Dawn, landing on her in a shower of white snowflakes.

"So, what do you think your boy is getting you for Christmas?" Dawn asked while they walked.

Lilia frowned. "I don't know," she admitted, not thinking Severus was getting her anything.

Dawn frowned, looking at her. "Wait, how long exactly have you two been seeing one another?" she asked Lilia.

Lilia shrugged. "Off the top of my head I have no idea, maybe a year and some?" she asked, unsure if it really had been that long. It was difficult to figure out exactly when she and Severus had become involved with one another.

Dawn narrowed her eyes. "Did he give you something last year?" she asked.

"For Christmas?" Lilia asked.

Dawn nodded.

Lilia drew a blank on that one. "Not… exactly…" she said awkwardly.

Dawn's jaw dropped. "You've been seeing him for a year and some months approximately and he didn't get you a Christmas present?" she screeched.

Lilia winced at the way that sounded. "A lot was happening at that time. It's nothing," she said.

Dawn glowered. "At least tell me he gave you a birthday present," she said. "If not, he's a hopeless twat," she grumbled.

Lilia felt her cheeks turning bright red at the mention of a birthday present from Severus. Well… what she had received on her birthday had been one hell of a way to celebrate her turning fifteen, no denying that.

"Hello? Earth to Lilia," Dawn said, waving a hand in front of her face.

Lilia looked at Dawn and smiled. "Yea, he gave me something for my birthday," she said quickly.

Dawn raised a brow. "He better have. Otherwise I would have to smack the name out of you then beat him to a pulp for forgetting," she smirked. "Well, I think he should get you a Christmas present this year," she nodded. "If it's been going on this long, he would be a complete ass for not getting you anything," she said.

Lilia smiled faintly. "It's fine if he doesn't though… I just want to see hi at Christmas is all," she admitted.

Dawn glowered and poked Lilia's nose. "Don't tell him that! Make him feel like he has to work to keep impressing you!"

"But he doesn't," Lilia pointed out.

"Well he should. You deserve it," Dawn nodded firmly.

Lilia sighed and rolled her eyes. "Fine, fine. I'll see about a Christmas present, Yeesh," she said, grinning as she turned to continue walking back in the direction her and Dawn had come.

Dawn seemed pleased with herself, moving to follow Lilia back. "And! When he does get you something, because you better make sure he does, I want to see it, deal?" she said. "If I get to see the present I won't pester you to tell me who he is," she smiled.

"For a day maybe," Lilia laughed.

Dawn grinned widely. "Heh, true…" she admitted, shrugging. "Ah well, we've already established that learning who this mystery man is, is my life;s mission of course," she smirked.

"Of course, Dawn," Lilia grinned at her friend, both of them trudging their way back to the mostly empty school now to get warm again, the chilly winter weather finally beginning to seep into their bones.

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This was one of the things he knew he would miss when the holidays came to an end. Having Lilia simply spending time in his bed chambers, not needing to leave anytime soon, or leave early in the morning should she choose to spend the night.

Severus sat in his arm chair, reading over some of the essays he had to mark over the holidays while Lilia lay upon her front, her legs kicking into the air in a relaxed position while she lay with her head upon her arms, her eyes closed. It was small seemingly insignificant moments like now that made everything seem like it could possibly be normal for him and Lilia. At least for a time.

Lilia sighed and opened her eyes, glancing over at him while he read. "Severus?"

He glanced up at her again, his expression calm and unreadable as always. His silence was enough to tell her to continue.

"What do you like?" she asked.

He frowned. "What do you mean?"

She sat up, crossing her legs and looked at him. "I mean what are you interested in? Other than Defence Against the Dark Arts and Potions and stuff."

"Why do you ask?" he frowned.

She crossed her arms, looking at him in slight disbelief. "Christmas. I want to give you something, but I don't know what," she said.

He rolled his eyes, setting the piece of parchment down and laced his fingers together in his lap, looking at her. "I don't need anything," he said.

She glowered. "Not something you need. I want to give you something you want," she said.

He looked at her seriously. "I already have what I want most," he said.

She felt thrilled as well as well as surprised by his bold and blunt statement. She blushed and looked down, her heart racing for a moment. She then sighed and looked at him again, chewing softly on her lower lip. "You know what I mean," she said finally.

He shrugged, going back to his parchment. "I don't need you to give me anything. I'm perfectly content with things the way they are," he said.

She hugged her legs close and frowned slightly, looking at him as he did his work. After a few minutes, she opened her mouth to ask another question. "Severus?"

"Mmm?" he asked absently, writing, no doubt, a nasty comment on someone's essay.

"Have you ever done anything special for the Christmas holidays?" she asked him softly.

His quill stopped for a moment as he processed the question in his mind.

Lilia felt uncomfortable with the silence for some time and looked away, her eyes wondering around his room.

"No…" he finally answered.

She turned her gaze to look back over at him where he sat. "No?"

"Not that I can remember, no…" he answered calmly, lifting his gaze to look at her.

She licked her lips to moisten them a little, wondering to herself how it would be to spend all of Christmas Eve and Day with Severus, someone who had never done anything special either.

As far back as Lilia could remember, her mother had either been too weak or ill to do anything, and her father had been so obsessed with ruining Lilia's life, she had never cared about doing anything for Christmas. Even at Hogwarts the previous years while she had stayed for the holidays, Christmas had just slipped past without her noticing for even a moment.

She decided at that moment, she would spend it entirely with Severus, or at least most of it. She just hoped Dawn wouldn't mind waiting until morning to see her for Christmas. Perhaps if she explained how much it would mean to them both, Dawn wouldn't mind so much, or maybe at all even.

She sighed and nodded.

He glanced up and raised a brow. "What is it now?"

She looked up to meet his eyes. "I decided I'm spending Christmas with you, and I'll find the perfect present too," she said with a slight smirk.

He rolled his eyes. "I already told you…"

"I know, but I still want to get you something," she insisted.

He sighed, shaking his head. "Do as you wish…" he said calmly.

She smiled, delighted that he hadn't refused and said no to spending a hopefully special Christmas with her, even if just here in his room. It was more than enough for her. It was exactly like she said to Dawn. All she desired was his company, and that was enough.

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Nothing! She couldn't find anything in his bedchambers that could tell her anything about what Severus liked. He had excused himself from the room for a few minutes, leaving Lilia with a small time slot to look for any clues as to what to get for him for Christmas.

She had literally gone through all the drawers she could find, looked through his bookshelves, his clothes, his trunk; all items giving her absolutely nothing to work with.

The man owned nothing but school related things, at least here in his bed chambers. She supposed maybe if she had known him longer or lived with him longer she would know if there was anything useful in his bedroom at home in Spinner's End, but she couldn't remember. Sighing, she crouched down, trying to find anything at all in the drawers she hadn't gone through just yet.

Just as soon as she picked up some of the random items she had to move around in his drawer, she had an idea of what to get for him and smiled, the thought coming to her so easily.

"What are you doing?" Severus asked from behind her all of a sudden.

She jumped, nearly knocking over a vial with some potion in it. She steadied it, then looked up at him over her shoulder. "Nothing, just… looking," she said. She mentally cursed herself for not having heard him returning at all.

He narrowed his eyes suspiciously at her, looking down the bridge of his nose, but then turned away, dropping the subject and went to sit back down in his chair, picking up another piece of parchment.

Lilia breathed a slight sigh of relief and got up from where she crouched on the floor, moving to climb up into his bed again and lay down. She secretly decided Severus's bed was her favourite place in the world. She supposed for more than just one reason.

She glanced over at him working and found herself wondering if Severus would get her anything at all for Christmas. There really was nothing she wanted that she could think of, but what if he did get her something this year? What would it be? Would he give it to her from his hand? Would he somehow leave it in the common room for her and Dawn to open up together? She closed her eyes, dismissing the thoughts. As thrilling as it would be to get something from someone as cold as Severus Snape, she didn't want anything, and so for the time being would look forward to merely giving him his present in about a week's time. She just wondered how she would get around to obtaining it…

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"Please?" Lilia asked from probably the umpteenth time.

He frowned. "Why?"

"Because I want to take one," she said insistently. "Just sit still, I promise no funny business," she said with a nod.

He watched her expression and sighed, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. He then opened his eyes again and turned away, moving to stand in front of his chair, looking slightly irritated by the request Lilia had come up with that day.

She smiled and set up the camera a few feet away, drawing out the cable so she could hit it when they were both ready to have their picture taken. She wondered if these old cameras had any self timers, but couldn't find one, so had resorted to using the self activated button on the end of the cable attached.

She moved to stand next to him and looked up into his face, hoping he wasn't actually as irritated as he looked by this request. She sighed and then put her arms around his waist and rested her chin upon his chest, looking directly up at him. "You know, it isn't going to steal your soul or anything. That's just a myth," she pointed out.

He rolled his eyes and then glanced down at her.

She blushed faintly, finding herself unable to look away from his steely gaze at that exact moment. Which was exactly when the camera exhaled a plume of smoke and let out a rather audible sound.

Lilia blinked, turning to look at it… and then smiled, looking up at Severus to see him smirking at her. "You..?"

He raised a brow slightly. "I what?" he asked.

She giggled, looking back up at the camera for a moment when he looked away from her, then looked at him again. "Never mind…" She smiled more so and then shook her head, moving to reset up the camera, coming to join him again so they could properly take a good picture, one where she was ready this time.

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"So?"

"So what?" Lilia asked.

"Did he say he's getting you anything?" Dawn asked, sitting in front of the fireplace with Lilia in the common room that same evening.

Lilia shrugged. "I dunno, I didn't hear anything," she said.

Dawn glowered at Lilia and smacked her upside the head. "Come on! He has to get you something. Even if it's a small bauble," she insisted.

Lilia rubbed her head where Dawn had smacked her and stuck her tongue out. "I don't want anything," she said. She mentally thought she was sounding like Severus now. She supposed she could understand the frustration Dawn felt in that case… a little.

"It's not a matter of you wanting something. It's a matter of him being a good boyfriend and getting you something anyways."

"Even if I absolutely hate it?"

"Even if you absolutely hate it," she nodded.

"Like a puppy?" Lilia asked.

Dawn looked aghast. "You hate puppies?" she exclaimed, her voice rising several octaves in that moment.

Lilia grinned. "I don't know. I just wondered how you would react."

Dawn glowered and shoved Lilia's shoulder softly, a smirk playing upon her features. "You're so twisted," she said.

"I've learned from the very best," Lilia commented, leaning back into the couch and sighed contently.

Dawn grinned and made a little flourish with her hand. "Oh why thank you, thank you. I feel so important," she cackled softly.

Lilia had to smile at that. "So you're alright with me spending Christmas Eve with him and then coming here in the morning a little after?" she asked Dawn.

"You've asked a hundred times, and a hundred times I've told you it's fine," Dawn smirked at her, reaching for another piece of candy they had between them on the couch. She took a Pink Coconut Ice flake and ate some, savouring the fudgy coconut flavour. "I'll just sleep in," she grinned.

Lilia smiled weakly. "You're sure?"

Dawn groaned and grasped Lilia's shoulders, shaking her a bit. "Yes, Lilia. I am one hundred thousand percent sure. In fact, I WANT you to go so I don't have to listen to you snoring at night," she joked.

Lilia laughed and shook her head in disbelief. "Alright, fine. Thank you," she said.

"Yea," Dawn replied, reaching for a Peppermint Toad, having never actually tried one yet.

Lilia smiled, deciding she would get something extra special for Dawn that Christmas, wanting to make up for not being with her, but also to show her how much she appreciated having a friend like her around in the first place.

"What?" Dawn asked.

Lilia shook her head. "Nothing."

Dawn raised a brow. "Okay," she said, turning back to opening her package.

Lilia smiled a little, then turned and began to pick through what candy Dawn had left still amidst the pile of wrappers and empty packages.

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(( Wee :D Chapter 42 ^^ I hope you all enjoyed it :D And now off I go to yet another splendiferous day at work from 11 am until like… 9 pm -_- fml… this is going to be a very brutal, very sweat induced and heat stroke filled day lmao. Send me some love in your reviews! XD ))


	43. Happy Christmas!

(( Weee…nus -w- LOL I dunno. Anyways! Hello my fellow readers who I adore with my whole heart :D I'm glad you enjoyed the previous chapter J Not TOO much happened, it was mostly meant as a kinda… warm and fuzzy feeling with a hint of amusement chapter really :P lol :D BUT I hope you all shall like what I have in store for this one ;) Please read, enjoy, and review :D I love hearing what you all think! :D

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the affiliated works :D If I did, I would just gladly hand over 6000 plus dollars and go for my second year at University without needing ot get a job during the year to pay for them uni funds xDDDD Oh man, being poor stinkkksssss :P ))

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Christmas Eve. Lilia sat with her legs tucked under the blankets while Severus prepared for bed himself. She wondered if she would ever grow used to the sight of him doing something so normal as putting away a few pieces of parchment and then dimming the lights so he could join her in the bed. The thought brought a very faint smile to her lips.

He noticed. Frowning, he approached the bed and narrowed his eyes a little. "What are you smiling about?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Nothing."

His eyes narrowed even more. "Liar."

She smirked at that one. "Fine. Truthfully I want to open presents," she said with a nod.

He rolled his eyes. "Such a child…" he muttered.

Lilia smirked, moving to lay on her back. "Please?" she asked.

He frowned. "No. You'll wait until morning like everyone else," he said.

She sighed, closing her eyes and draping an arm over her eyes. "Fine, fine…" she said. "Come to bed already," she said, sprawling her arm out next to the empty space next to her.

He climbed in, lying down by her side and put an arm around her waist, looking at her.

She watched him for a moment and then smiled faintly. "So does this mean you do have something for me this year?" she asked.

He sighed. "You'll wait until morning. I won't say anything else," he said firmly.

She groaned and buried her face into his chest, sighing. "Alright, alright."

He smirked faintly when she wasn't looking and let a hand run absently through her hair, thinking to himself how… nice… it felt to simply worry right now about making sure Lilia fell asleep instead of letting her get up to open presents. "Go to sleep," he told her calmly.

"It's so hard to," she complained, moving to lay her head upon one of the pillows and looked up at him. "I'm too excited," she said.

He raised a brow. "For opening gifts?" he asked, not seeing the excitement in it at all.

She shook her head. "As eager as I am to find out if I got anything from you and if you like your presents, I'm just excited to be spending Christmas with you. That's all… I just don't want to miss a moment of it," she explained.

He frowned. "Even if all you do is lay there on the bed all night staring at the ceiling?" he asked.

She smiled. "Even then," she said.

He rolled his eyes. "You're so stubborn," he said.

She giggled softly. "That won't change anytime soon," she assured him.

He pulled her closer and smirked, pressing his lips to hers. "Go to sleep… now. Or I won't give you a darned thing tomorrow," he said.

She huffed but finally lay her head down and closed her eyes, her head nestled very close to his chest, but laying on the pillow instead, just appreciating how close they were while they both at last drifted off to sleep for the night.

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"I want to see mine first," she said insistently the moment Lilia and Severus had fully awoken and become alert.

Severus looked at her silently. "Aren't you supposed to be unselfish during Christmas?"

"FOR Christmas," she corrected. "You're supposed to be unselfish before Christmas for "Father Christmas" will give you better presents," she smirked.

He rolled his eyes. "Fine. Wait here," he said.

She grinned, feeling ready to bounce and jump around almost, a reaction most unlike herself if she were to ever actually do it, simply because now she knew for certain. Severus DID have something to give to her! She wondered what on earth it could be. Was it another book to add to her little collection? Was it a life's supply of that cramp numbing potion? She hoped not. As convenient as it would be, that would have been so disappointing to receive as a gift… even if it was coming from Severus.

She immediately dropped all negative thoughts when she saw him coming over with a small neatly wrapped box in hand. She swallowed, wondering what on earth he had gotten her, all her guesses having gone out the window entirely.

Severus sat on the bed next to her and held it out to her awkwardly, obviously not used to doing something like exchanging gifts.

Lilia was almost afraid to open it. She glanced up at him and reached for the matte grey ribbon, undoing it, then tore off the black wrapping paper with a hint of sheen to it. She hesitated for a moment before pulling out the little black box inside and looked at him again for assurance.

He looked at the box, then her, not saying anything still.

She turned back to it and then opened it, revealing the most beautiful ring she'd lain eyes on. It looked like it was white gold, the ring itself not a complete circle. The two ends formed a snake head and a snake's tail, both coming to surround a deep green emerald. It reminded her perfectly of Snape, Slytherin… everything she loved about him. She loved how to cool feel of it in her hand when she pulled it out reminded her of his cold demeanour except when alone with her. She loved how the snake winding itself around the jewel represented Slytherin so perfectly, as well as Severus and herself.

She felt her eyes smart a little as she looked at it, having never ever imagined he would give her something so… stunning. She tilted her head up to look at him and smiled timidly. "It's beautiful… thank you," she whispered.

He smirked a little, seeming very proud of his choice as far as gifts went. He leaned down and kissed her very tenderly, pulling away to brush back a lock of hair. "Good that you approve," he said calmly. "You're tough to shop for it turns out," he said.

She smiled, slipping it onto her right hand finger next to her pinky, admiring the way it fit so perfectly. "What did you do, secretly measure my finger in my sleep?" she asked, raising a brow as she looked at him again.

He smirked. "Your turn," he said.

She blinked. "What?"

He frowned. "I thought you had something for me," he said and nodded towards the bundle near them. He reached out towards it.

"No! No!" she exclaimed, snatching it up and held it away from him, turning bright red. "You can't open this."

He raised a brow.

"I… uh… I think I gave you the wrong thing…" she said. In truth, she suddenly was extremely embarrassed by her photographs for presents. Sure Severus didn't have any. But the man had gotten her a white gold diamond encrusted ring for heaven's sakes! She couldn't just give him photographs in return!

He narrowed his eyes and held out his hand. "Give it to me," he said.

She shook her head stubbornly.

"Why are you acting like this now?" he asked, frowning at her.

She bit her lower lip and looked away. "Because… my present is lame in comparison to yours. I wasn't expecting something so… expensive looking," she admitted.

He frowned. "You don't like it?"

She gaped. "I adore it! If anyone other than you or I touches it it's safe to say I'll remove their hand with my glare alone. But…"

"But?"

"But my present to you sucks!" she whined.

He rolled his eyes. "I'm sure it's fine," he said.

She felt a pout beginning to creep its way onto her face, but she reluctantly handed over the little package she had wrapped up so carefully for him.

He took it and gave her a look, then began to undo it.

When the wrapping paper had come off completely, Lilia covered her face and let out something along the lines of a miserable groan, slumping onto her backside and shook her head. "I'm sorry," she said, slightly muffled, from behind her hands. "I thought it would be nice to be all sentimental but then I opened the ring and oh god I'm an awful present giver," she said, looking up at him miserably.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, looking at her with a frown.

She sat up. "My present to you. It doesn't compete with yours at all," she sighed.

He frowned even more. "Your present is perfect," he told her firmly.

She fell silent, looking down at the bundle of moving photographs. She hadn't actually taken the time to really appreciate them, so she moved to sit beside him, curiously watching as he picked them up and sheafed through them slowly and carefully. "You think so?" she murmured, watching as in each one, her and Severus moved a little, her smiling, him looking the way he always did… and yet they complimented one another so well. Each one looked like a perfect family portrait almost, the only thing missing being a little dog on the corner and a baby in her arms. She blushed at that thought.

She felt her eyes widen when she saw the one where she had looked up at Severus for a moment and then the camera had gone off, her turning to look at it in surprise, then grinning and looking up at him with that smile again. The whole time he'd subtly kept his eyes on her… She thought she might die inside of embarrassment and happiness.

She looked up at him and smiled a little bit.

He turned and looked at her. "See?" he pointed out quietly. "Perfect…" he said in a slightly firm tone, making sure Lilia knew he appreciated his gift.

She felt a flutter in her stomach and smiled a little more, moving to rest her head upon his shoulder and look at them again, enjoying the way how looking at them made her feel like a part of something genuinely real. A true part of Severus' life. She leaned up and gently kissed him again. "Happy Christmas…" she murmured softly.

After some time and some more smaller gifts being opened between the two, Lilia bid Severus goodbye and went to see if Dawn was awake, wanting to open presents with her best friend now.

She spoke the password to the Slytherin common room and stepped inside, going up to the empty dormitory and grinned when she saw Dawn already pulling on some clothes. "Happy Christmas!"

Dawn's bright crimson hair poked through first, followed by her face through the head hole in her sweater and she grinned. "Happy Christmas," she replied, rushing over and threw her arms around Lilia's neck, hugging her tightly. "Ready to do some very serious damage to our pile of presents?" she grinned.

Lilia looked surprised. "Pile?"

Dawn nodded. "Of course. You Don't think my family didn't get you anything too did they?"

Lilia felt herself pale in the face. "I didn't get them anything though," she said nervously.

Dawn shrugged and grinned. "Don't worry." She then leaned closer and smirked. "I secretly bought them a few extra things and put your name on it as the sender," she winked.

Lilia felt relief flood through her and smiled at Dawn. "You're a really good friend Dawn," she said softly.

Dawn shrugged. "I do what I can when I choose to," she said, taking Lilia's hand and led her down to the common room. "Come on now, I want to see what mum got for each of us," she laughed.

Lilia and Dawn ran over to the immense pile of gifts, Lilia's jaw dropping slightly in shock as she took it all in. How much had Dawn and her been given? Getting down onto her knees, she looked around for which one she wanted to open first. "What do you want to open first?" she asked Dawn, looking at her friend who'd already seemed to set her sights on a few things.

Dawn grinned. "I dunno. What do you want to open first?" she asked.

Lilia looked back at the pile and chewed her lip softly, then reached for one of the boxes and proceeded to unwrap it. The series of books she had read at Dawn's house!

Dawn grinned, looking at it. "I noticed you liked them so I told my mum to pick up the set whenever she could," she said.

Lilia smiled at her. "Thanks. I love it," she said honestly, stroking a finger down the hardcover binding along the sides, absolutely adoring the sturdy feel of the new books in her hands.

Dawn then went next, reaching for a wrapped up bundle, undoing the ribbon and gaped at the new glistening black fur coat she'd gotten for Christmas. "Merlin's beard!" she exclaimed, holding it up, adoring the way the fur shone very faintly in the light. "Remind me to tell my mum I absolutely adore her," she grinned.

Lilia laughed, touching the soft fur of it. She then gasped when a package flew at her. She caught it and blinked, looking up at Dawn.

She smirked. "It's about the same size. I wanna see what coat you got," she pointed out.

Lilia smirked and proceeded to tear open the packaging, pulling out an off white fur coat with black spots all over it, and a black thick belt in the waist area.

Dawn squeeled. "Omigod I love it! We must go out wearing them later and show them off," she said.

"To who exactly?" Lilia smirked. "Almost noone's here, remember?"

"Duh," Dawn grinned, "To each other," she pointed out.

Lilia rolled her eyes. "Of course. How could I forget?" she smirked, reaching for some more of the packages and boxes under the tree with Dawn.

When they finished unpacking everything, Lilia having received on top of the books and fur coat, several packages of Pink Coconut Ice, much to Dawn's amusement apparently, a new school bag since her old one according to Dawn had been falling apart since she could remember, loads more clothes, and a new sketch book for her to use in her own time.

Dawn had received on top of her fur coat, several assortments of candy including Pepper Imps, Peppermint Toads and Chocolate Frogs. She admitted they were without a doubt her favourites among all of Honeydukes' candy. Other than that, she had had also been given an entire new set of makeup to use as she pleased, much to her delight, some new clothes, her favourite perfume and other assortments of things she was interested in.

Lilia sat back, fondly admiring her items and looked at Dawn. "So, what did you actually give to your family from me?" she asked.

She smirked. "My mom got her favourite perfume from the both of us. I gave dad a new tie and jumper from yourself, and for Felix I made sure he got the next book in his favourite collection from you," she winked.

Lilia smiled fondly. "I'll pay you back when I get the chance," she said.

Dawn shook her head. "Don't worry about it," she insisted. "I don't mind at all. Now, before you try to cut me off and insist on paying me back, to which I might be tempted to give in to, I want to know, what did you get for Christmas from your boyfriend?" she grinned.

Lilia grinned against her attempt at trying to stop herself and sighed, showing Dawn to few things Severus had given her.

Dawn raised a brow. "Just those?" she asked.

"Oh, and this," Lilia said and held out her right hand.

She was surprised Dawn's jaw didn't end up on the floor from how fast and hard it dropped.

Dawn grabbed Lilia's hand and looked at the ring, her eyes almost bulging out of her head. "Blimey! He gave you a white gold and emerald ring for Christmas?" she exclaimed.

Lilia nodded, taking her hand back and admired the ring for probably the thousandth time that day. She then looked up and blinked, looking at Dawn. "What's wrong?" she asked.

Dawn shook her head, looking at the ring. "Nothing…" she said and then met Lilia's gaze. "You de realize what that ring is, don't you?"

Lilia looked at it and then shook her head. "Did it belong to someone important?"

"No. I don't think so at least. It looks pretty new," she said and sighed. "It just… it looks like… never mind," she shook her head.

Lilia blinked. "No, what is it?" she asked, not liking Dawn when she acted like this. It made her uneasy.

Dawn looked at Lilia and shrugged. "It just looks to me like he's staked a claim on you. Taken you off the market sort of, you could say," she said.

Lilia raised a brow. "But I am 'off the market' as people say, aren't I?"

Dawn shrugged. "Now it's more official I suppose," she said. "I mean don't get me wrong, it's a gorgeous ring and I congratulate you on finding a bloke who will invest so much money into buying you something that pretty and expensive looking."

Lilia blinked. "So… you like it then?"

"Like?" Dawn gaped and then grabbed Lilia's hand and looked at the ring again. "Lilia, I would tear off my left arm to have a ring this nice from a guy," she grinned.

Lilia felt a smile appear on her face, glad that Dawn was back to herself again. "Good. You had me worried there for a second," she said.

Dawn shrugged. "I didn't mean to worry you. I was just surprised is all. I didn't know the relationship was so… serious," she smirked.

Lilia rolled her eyes. "He didn't propose for goodness sake's. It's a Christmas present," she insisted.

Dawn smirked. "Mhmm… a Christmas present heading straight under your skirt," she joked.

Lilia rolled her eyes and threw some wrapping paper at Dawn. "Stop being such a pervert," she grinned.

"I can't help it, I am a pervert," she chuckled.

Lilia smirked. "So I've noticed."

"Come on, let's get this mess cleaned up so we can be ready later for our Christmas Feast," Dawn said eagerly.

Lilia grinned and nodded.

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The Christmas Feast was lovely. Very empty, but nice and intimate. At least Lilia thought so. It wasn't unbearably crowded or loud like dinner usually was at Hogwarts. There was plenty of food to go around without anyone needing to race their way to their favourite precious desserts.

Lilia glanced over to where the teachers sat for dinner and felt a grin creep onto her face against her will, having spotted Severus.

He glanced over at her, a slight nod coming from him in acknowledgment before he turned back to the teacher he was speaking to occasionally picking at his dinner.

Lilia smiled, glancing at Dawn who currently sat trying to cut a particularly large piece of chicken out for herself.

Christmas Eve… she hoped there would be more like this one.

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Lilia kept watching the picture replay her and Severus in their motions again and again in the photograph now set upon his nightstand. It looked sp peculiar there, when nothing else in his room was nearly so personal. But she liked it… She wouldn't have it any other way.

She rolled over onto her side, facing Severus as he came to join her in his bed. She smiled at him faintly.

He put an arm around her and looked at her. "Ready for bed?" he asked.

She nodded.

He nodded and dimmed the lights with ease, sighing as he lay with her again in his warm, surprisingly cozy bed.

She smiled, closing her eyes. "Happy Christmas…" she whispered in the dark bedroom.

There was no response for a moment even though she seriously doubted Severus was already asleep.

"Goodnight, Lilia," he said in a tone, indicating he refused to say the phrase 'Happy Christmas'.

Lilia shut her eyes tightly and grinned, supposing that thought was a little too much for him even. Even if it was Christmas.

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(( Yay :D Christmas tyme with Snape! -_- I wish I got a ring from Severus Snape. Psh. I would willingly die happy right there xDD Anyways! No this wasn't a SUPER early upload :P I had a morning shift today so yaaayyy :D didn't have to get up at an ungodly hour to write the chapter and then upload it :P Anyways :D I hope you all enjoyed this chapter ^^ Please review and lemme know what you all thought : 3 ALSO no that ring is not an engagement ring xD I have a small idea for it later on so shush wit hthe whole "omigod a ring? did he propose secretly?" or "omigod, really? a ring? -_ - you couldnt think of anything better?" xDDDD shhhh! lol ))


	44. Blackforest Cake

(( ^w^ Good day everyone :D I hope you all greatly enjoyed the previous chapter :D (I know several of you did ;) lol) Here we are with chapter 44! ^w^ I hope this one is well received as well :D And you should all be happy to know that this story and your reviews and enjoyment mean so much to me as a writer… that I turned down a party invite just to come home and write tonight :P THAT is dedication right there! XDD Anywho! Here you are :D haha

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter or any affiliated works. If I did, I would hire a personal massage therapist to passage the hell out of my shoulders everyday cause my back sucks xDDD It's official lol ))

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He loved to see her smile. Those deep green, almond shaped eyes lighting up in a way they hadn't before. If anyone deserved to be able to smile, it was her. Severus had thought that exact thought every time he looked at the photograph of him and Lilia upon his bedside table. Whenever he looked at it, he thought there just might be a chance at a somewhat normal life after all… maybe when everything was over.

Sighing, he rose to go and see to preparations for his classes. Term had resumed a few days prior, and reluctantly the nightly visitations with Lilia had ceased for the time being. He hated that.

Miserably, he gathered his things for class, glancing over to the photograph again and then headed to the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom, not looking forward to teaching the miserable students who didn't put enough effort into classes at the best of times.

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"Did you hear?" Dawn asked Lilia as they made their way down the hall.

Lilia glanced at her friend curiously as they made their way to class that afternoon. "Hear what?"

"The Burrow. The rickety old house where the Weasley's lived. It got destroyed over the holidays by a bunch of Death Eaters," she nodded.

Lilia's face paled slightly, but she squashed away the unsettling feeling inside her, remembering Snape had nothing to do with it. He'd been at the school over the holidays and he'd been next to her every night while they slept. There was no way he could have partaken in those events. "Do they know who it was?" she asked.

Dawn shrugged. "I'm not sure, but from what I've heard Bellatrix Lestrange and that werewolf, Greyback were there," she whispered quietly so no one would know what they were talking about.

Lilia exhaled a slight sigh of relief.

Dawn raised a brow. "Why do you look so relieved?"

Lilia shrugged. "I was nervous perhaps the Dark Lord himself had made an appearance on that family," she said.

Dawn frowned. "Why would you care?" she asked.

Lilia hesitated.

"Oh, wait," she grinned. "I forgot, you're close with the twins, aren't you?" she chucked.

Lilia rolled her eyes. "Yea, sure, let's go with that," she said.

Dawn laughed.

Lilia sighed. "Come on, we'll be late if we don't hurry," she said.

"Oh my, I'm sorry. I didn't realize we were in such a rush to see the love of your life, Professor Snape," Dawn laughed, following Lilia.

Lilia froze and her breakfast nearly ended up on the floor beneath her feet for a moment as she glanced nervously at Dawn. Did she know? She looked at the red head who suddenly stopped and frowned.

"Something wrong, Lilia?" Dawn asked with genuine concern at her expression.

Lilia looked at her, and realized Dawn really didn't know. She was still safe. "No… no I'm fine, just got a bit dizzy for a second," she said breathily.

Dawn's brows went up in concern. "You sure? I told you to eat more for breakfast, didn't I?" she asked half jokingly.

Lilia smiled weakly and nodded. "Yea, I know. Sorry," she said. "But seriously, let's go. I don't feel like taking the wrath of an angry Snape, especially not this morning," Lilia sighed.

Dawn nodded. "Actually, neither do I," she laughed, hurrying it along with Lilia down the hallways.

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He smirked, watching her easily master the most mundane of spells without speaking them aloud. She had progressed well in his Defence Against the Dark Arts classes. And even better, she was a Slytherin, so he saw nothing wrong in appraising her for her accomplishments as well as other Slytherin members, otherwise ignoring the achievements of the other houses as always. Particularly Gryffindors.

He walked with his back rigid as usual, posture in check as he carefully eyed each and every student while they practiced performing defensive spells without needing to speak them.

After an hour of that absolute misery, he finally relented and dismissed the class, watching Lilia for a little longer than the others while she passed, walking alongside her friend, Pyrites.

He felt a slight jealousy deep down at the sight of Dawn walking so casually with Lilia out of the room and down the halls, talking and grinning, laughing and enjoying her company… while he could do nothing but watch except in privacy, which was a hard commodity to come by as of late, especially with the preparations already taking place for the O.W.L.'s. No emotion of the sort betrayed itself upon his face though.

At the same time, he hoped Lilia had been preparing very hard. It would be a shame if all her abilities went to waste merely because she didn't take the time to memorize her studies.

Either way, he reverted his attention back to the matter at hand as the sixth year students came into his class to learn, yet again, the spells and charms they had yet failed to learn to cast without saying them aloud. Granger had proven quite skilled at it, though he refused to commend her for her work, dismissing it as her, yet again, being an insufferable know-it-all.

Once everyone was assembled and called for, he sighed and in us usual bored and cold tone, spoke. "Take out your wands…" he commanded, beginning his class.

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Lilia sat at dinner one evening, anxiously awaiting the moment when she could slip away unnoticed and get what she desired most that night.

She reached over and nudged Dawn who looked up from her biscuit curiously. "Mmm?"

"I'm going to go do something. I'll talk to you tomorrow?" she asked.

Dawn nodded, waving her off.

Lilia smiled and got up, dismissing herself from the Great Hall at last and headed straight to the kitchens down below.

She smiled when she saw one of the house elfs waiting outside the off limits area and approached. "Hello," she greeted.

The timid looking house elf looked up at her and smiled somewhat timidly, holding out a black package with green lace ribbons fastening it closed.

Lilia felt herself smiling and accepted it gratefully. She crouched down and looked at the house elf. "Thankyou. This will mean a lot to both of us… I'm sure," she said.

The female-looking house elf beamed. "I am glad to help you in such a noble cause. If Lilia Gunner ever should require Peony's help again, I am only a call away," she smiled.

Lilia smiled back and stood, holding the box carefully. "Thankyou Peony," she said and waved, the house elf disappearing to return to its duties in the castle, Lilia heading up to the teachers quarters silently, being careful to avoid any teachers who might be lurking in the corridors still after dinner.

At last, she reached the door she desired more than any other in the world and knocked.

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Severus frowned, not needing someone to be bothering him at that exact moment. He turned away from his fireplace and dimmed the flames, going to the doorway and opened it, about to demand what the hell they wanted, whoever they were, but held his tongue when he looked upon none other than Lilia. He raised a brow. "Something wrong, Miss. Gunner?" he asked.

She nodded, her hands folded behind her back. "Yes."

He frowned, suddenly very serious. "Such as?"

She produced the average sized box from behind her back and held it out to him. "Your birthday," she said.

He was silent.

She smirked. "Noone's ever celebrated it, have they?"

He narrowed his eyes. "I somehow doubt turning thirty seven is any reason to celebrate…" he muttered, stepping aside, seeing that she wasn't leaving anytime soon. "Besides, how did you know when my birthday was?" he asked.

She looked up at him as she sat herself down on his bed. "You mentioned it at one point or another, or maybe it was Wormtail… anyways, you or him mentioned it while I was there over the summer and I made sure to memorize when it was," she said calmly.

He sighed, closing the door and joined her on the bed, secretly revelling in such a normal moment with her. "So whats in the box?" he asked, raising a brow and looking at it.

She grinned. "A surprise," she said, opening it carefully, then undid the lid and showed him a gorgeously done black forest cake. "Happy birthday," she said and smiled up at him.

He looked at it, then at her and smirked, leaning over and pressed his lips to hers. "it amazes me how childish you are sometimes…" he murmured.

She grinned widely, delighting in his response.

Soon, she had separated the cake into two pieces and they both lay on his bed, eating it contently, Lilia enjoying the cake as well as his presence again. "I assume you already know I'm not leaving tonight," she grinned, finishing off her cake and licked her fingers.

He smirked, putting an arm over her waist and looked at her. "I think I knew the moment I heard a knock on the door," he told her.

She grinned at that.

She would always enjoy these moments of normality with Severus… they were what made her feel like the special person in his life completely.

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(( Okay lame ending, I know xD I will make up for that tomorrow I hope. Sorry about the shortness :S I pulled a muscle in my shoulder at work today and now it hurts to write for too long xD Sorry! Please review and comment anyways xD I hope? XDDD I dunno, bye bye while I go to lay down and try to sleep away the soreness -_- xD ))


	45. Promises

(( Good day everyone J Glad to tell you that my shoulder is a bit less sore ^^ It just gets nasty knots in my left shoulder blade area :P The muscle gets so hard and sore L Sucky. Anyways, here you are with chapter 45 J Enjoy ^w^

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters or affiliated works. If I did, well… let's just say Severus would not have ended up alone and dead ;) ))

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Lilia looked up as Severus suddenly entered his room, looking stricken, ashen and in deep turmoil among other things. Her eyes travelled lower and she frowned. "You're robes are soaked," she said. She glanced up at him. "Why?" she asked, closing the book she had been reading that morning, sitting up on the bed.

He frowned, looking at his soaked robes and shoes, clearly that being the least of his worries at that moment.

She frowned, climbing over the board at the end of the bed and walked over to him, looking on curiously as he rummaged through his things. "What are you doing?"

"Looking for something," he said as if it were obvious.

She raised a brow. "Like what?"

He glanced at her. "An old copy of Advanced Potion Making," he informed her.

She blinked, wondering why on earth he needed the book. "Well… I have a copy," she said.

He shook his head. "No. It's a specific copy. It has things written in it that no one should come across without full knowledge of what they're reading," he said.

She frowned. "How could you know?"

He turned to look at her. "Because it is my old textbook. I wrote spells I created in it. Dangerous spells. And I'm under the impression that Potter himself somehow got a hold of it, and has used one of those spells on a classmate," he said seriously.

She was startled by the ferocity in his words. Whatever the spell had been, it must have been a nasty one. "What happened?" she asked, watching him rummage through some other things.

He frowned seriously, that familiar crease deepening between his brows. "It appears Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy got into a bit of a quarrel in the boys lavatory and one thing led to another and so Potter used one of my spells against Malfoy, not realizing the seriousness of his actions in doing so," he muttered.

Lilia swallowed, that not sounding good at all. "Is he dead?" she asked.

He shook his head. "No, but he very nearly could have been thanks to Potter's irresponsible use of magic," he said and ran a hand through his hair, frustrated that the more he looked, the more it was painfully obvious that Potter held his copy of Advanced Potion Making.

"What sort of spell was it then?"

He glared, looking at her. "Why?"

She hesitated a moment. "I… I've just never seen you so… frazzled looking," she explained.

He narrowed his eyes noticeably. "I don't want you know that sort of spell… not for the time being," he said. "Perhaps another time," he explained.

She looked up at him, tempted to beg to know the spell, her curiosity itching at the back of her mind, but supposed he was only looking out for her safety if denying a spell from her. She finally nodded and looked away. "I suppose I should go. I agreed to meet with Dawn," she said.

He nodded. "Go then," he encouraged, waving a hand at her dismissively as he turned away to go. "I have something I need to check," he muttered.

She nodded, glancing over at him in mild concern, but then excused herself and left to go find Dawn, leaving Severus to his brooding.

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"I merely need to borrw the old textbook for a moment, Horace," Severus said calmly.

Slughorn looked at the tall dark man before him and then nodded, stepping out of the way. "Yes, yes of course," he said, letting him into the classroom.

Severus strode over to the old cupboard at the back of the room and opened it, his eyes immediately falling upon the old copy. He reached for it, flipping open the cover… seeing no indication of it being his. It certainly looked like his old book, but he knew it had been switched, the cover encasing a newly bought book. He mentally swore.

"Might I ask what it is you need with said book, Severus?" Horace asked, peeking over curiously.

He calmly put it back and closed the door, looking at Horace seriously. He gave no answer, merely going to the door and leaving without a goodbye or thank you as he always tended to do.

Horace looked at the empty doorway with widened eyes. "My my… how very curious," he said to himself, glancing at the cupboard curiously.

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"Bring me your Potions textbook…" Snape growled seriously.

Harry looked up at him with hatred in his eyes, though his face and attitude remained composed for the most part. He nodded. "Certainly sir…" he said, turning away and going to retrieve the book which he knew had led up to this.

Severus stood waiting for some time before Potter finally returned, holding out his book. He looked suspiciously at the student and snatched the book from him, Flipping through it, he felt his teeth clench again in frustration, seeing no notes at all in it. He shut it and handed it back to Harry roughly, glaring at him. "You're sure that's it?" he asked.

Harry nodded. "Yes professor. Anything else?" he asked.

He stood silently for a moment. "No… that will be all," he said in a dangerously low tone, suspicion still in his eyes even as Potter turned to walk away.

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Lilia glanced up when she saw Severus making his way down the hall later in the evening, a little before dinner. She stopped in her tracks, watching as he came closer. "Sir?"

He looked at her seriously.

She swallowed. "Did you find what you needed?"

He shook his head firmly, clearly aggravated by something. "I must speak with Professor Dumbledore about this," he said.

She raised a brow. "Why?"

"He seems to be very close with Potter… perhaps Potter can give him what I need back," he muttered.

She blinked. "Are you headed there now?"

He nodded.

She took a moment to consider something and then looked at him. "I want to come with you," she said.

He frowned. "Why?"

She shrugged. "I just want to come with you. Am I not allowed?" she asked.

He sighed and motioned for her to follow at last, heading in the direction of the Astronomy Tower.

Once there, Severus and Lilia made their way up the stairwell, reaching the top.

Severus frowned, looking around and then sighed.

Lilia looked around curiously, then looked up at Severus. "Why are we here?"

He looked over at her. "Albus was here only a short while ago…" he said. "I spoke with him here. Potter was coming to meet with him so I assumed they would still be here…"

She raised a brow. "Maybe he's in his office?" she suggested.

He frowned, not liking the feeling he was getting at all. He knew what was coming… he had hoped it wouldn't. Maybe his intuition was wrong. He then nodded and took Lilia's hand, leading her to the stairwell and they both made their way down.

When they reached Dumbledore's office, Severus spoke the password and they made their way up, Lilia running to keep up with Severus' long strides.

They entered the large office, Lilia's eyes scanning the empty room.

Severus had that same bad feeling making itself known as his eyes settled upon the Pensieve. He approached it, seeing a vial with a memory inside it already. He unstoppered it, holding it over the Pensieve while Lilia stood next to him, her hand clutching at one of the folds in his black robes nervously.

Together, they leaned over it and watched as the horrid memory played itself out, Lilia not understanding fully what was gong on or who the boy was, wheras Severus understood perfectly what this was. The memory where Tom Riddle, now Lord Voldemort, discovered what a Horcrux was, and how to go about creating them.

When the memory finished, both of the viewers looked at the swirling Pensieve ominously, one more so than the other of course.

Lilia hadn't understood exactly what this scene was. It seemed far too ominous, even though nothing bad exactly had happened. She recognized Slughorn, or at least the younger version of himself, but not the boy. From what she could tell, he would be much older by now and not going here, unless he'd changed a lot since graduating. She looked up at Severus quietly. "What was that?" she asked.

He remained silent for several minutes, then closed his eyes. "He knows…" he said finally.

She looked at him in concern. "Who knows what?" she asked.

He looked at Lilia. "Dumbledore knows about the horcruxes… I have no doubt the Dark Lord is going to become aware of this in a short matter of time and attack…" he said.

She felt a chill go up her spine. "Attack?"

He nodded. "If Dumbledore is destroying Voldemort's horcruxes, it is weakening him and the Dark Lord will not stand for it," he said firmly. "This is far more dangerous than I originally thought…" he said. He then tensed and looked at her again.

She flinched when his gaze fell upon her. "What?" she asked in alarm.

"If the school is in threat of this much danger heading its way, you'll be in danger as well," he said finally.

She frowned. "I'm not afraid of him," she said firmly.

He narrowed his eyes at her. "You can't be afraid of someone or something you've never met…" he told her.

She swallowed, having no reply to something like that, knowing he had a very valid point.

"You must promise me something…" he said suddenly.

She looked up at him. "What is it?"

He turned to look at her and put a hand upon her shoulder, squeezing it softly. "Whatever I tell you to do if danger comes to this school.. You must obey it," he said.

She looked up at him silently, not liking where this was going one bit. "I have no choice do I..?"

He smirked faintly, but it was a bit forced. "No…"

She looked down and nodded then. "Alright… I promise… but you must promise me something too," she said, looking up at him with determination in her eyes.

He raised a brow. "What's that?"

She swallowed. "Promise you'll keep yourself safe… and never leave me behind," she said.

He looked at her, not knowing if he could trust himself to keep such a promise. Being as things were going, he might break those promises within a day. But he finally nodded. "I promise to try," he said.

She seemed satisfied with this answer and nodded, stepped into him and putting her arms around him, holding onto him tightly. "Do you really think danger is coming?" she asked quietly.

He put an arm around her, the other hand moving to stroke her hair once. He sighed heavily, feeling weighted down by what he now knew for certain was to come. "I know it is…" he said ominously.

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(( Bum bum bummmm J Chapter 45 lol I hope you liked it! I hope it was decently written enough for people (even if again it's a TAD on the short side again xD I just wanted this chapter itself to be a focus on what is obviously to come as we all know ;) lol Also! Glad to say my shoulder isn't AS sore as yesterday. It's still a bit sore today but ah well, what can you do eh? Lol Hopefully tomorrow at work it's a bit better :P Anyways! Please review and lemme know how you thought I did with this chapter J ALSO! You probably noticed I used a scene from the books that wasn't in the movie at all (sucky. I thought that scene would have been good to put into the movie :S among others Dx) I just don't have my novel ON me since I'm at my moms xD not home haha. So I hope I was close enough to what happened in the book J Anyways! Toodleoo while I go off to continue resting my shoulder and watching tv while munching on a cheesburger xD YUM 3 ))


	46. Murder by Nightfall

(( Hello again! :D So now the real drama begins in this fan fic eh? :P Dun dun dunnnn lol :P Anyways, here you are with Chapter 46 : 3 Enjoy! J

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the affiliated works. If I did, well… this fan fic wouldn't exist would it? -w- What a shame that would be! No? xDDD ))

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He looked out at the thunder as it rolled in that night, foreshadowing the horrors he knew were fast approaching. The skies were darkening rapidly, his stomach knotting uncomfortably at the thought of what he had to do.

It was time…

Making his way up to the Astronomy Tower, Severus came across Harry hiding beneath where the Death Eaters and Albus were talking amongst themselves, trying to taunt Draco into fulfilling Voldemort's wishes in killing Dumbledore.

Harry turned and looked to see him where he stood silently.

He looked back at him, pointing his wand at him threateningly, lifting a finger to his lips to indicate for him to be silent. His expression told him not to disobey under any circumstances.

When he was certain Harry would obey, he lowered his wand, stepping back and finally made his way up to where Bellatrix currently stood, pleading ofr Draco to kill Albus already.

"Go on Draco! Now!" Bellatrix exclaimed.

The blonde Slytherin looked horribly tormented as he pointed his wand with a shaky hand at Dumbledore.

"No…" came one deep and calm voice.

Draco's eyes widened and he turned immediately, watching as Severus came to where the others stood, looking serious and unemotional as ever.

Severus looked at the gathered group of Death Eaters and felt uneasy about what he knew he had been asked to do by Dumbledore himself.

There was silence met with Severus' appearacne, but it was broken after a few moments when Albus Dumbledore spoke.

"Severus…" he said.

Severus looked up at Dumbledore silently, making no move whatsoever to aid him. He could feel Bellatrix watching him expectantly, no doubt wondering if he would fulfill the contract of the Unbreakable Vow he had involved himself with over the summer.

Dumbledore watched him silently, his heart heavy. "Please…" he said, blinking away any tears that threatened to fall from the pain he felt and the heavy burden he was leaving behind onto others who he knew did not deserve what was to come.

Severus parted his lips and after a single moment of deliberation, lifted his wand, uttering the one incantation which would alter life as he knew it. "Avada Kadavra," he said firmly, letting the green light envelope Dumbledore, fading away to reveal the old man falling from the Astronomy Tower.

He felt his heart clench deep inside him as time seemed to slow for him all around. He knew the Death Eaters would take over, Lilia would be in danger, Harry would forever hate him for such an atrocious action, and so much more.

He watched Bellatrix cast the Dark Mark above the school to show that the Death Eaters had finally taken over it.

With that, he turned and followed the others as they made their way down the stair ramps, making their exit from the school quickly and efficiently.

Severus led the group as he walked firmly down the halls, down the aisles of the Great Hall and at last towards the front entrance of the school.

He looked back as Bellatrix made a needless show of her power, destroying the Great Hall, blasting all the windows out and putting out all the candles, much to her apparent delight.

His thoughts were immediately to send them all ahead and then go find Lilia, tell her things would be alright… but that would be a lie. He could not give away that she was important to him. They would merely use her against him later if presented with an appropriate opportunity. He only hoped she would understand when he had the chance to return and tell her everything.

He headed outside and out towards the forbidden forest, wanting ot get away from the horror inside that school at least for the time being, hoping everything that he knew was to come would end soon.

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"What the bloody hell was that?" Dawn asked in alarm, sitting up in her bed.

The other Slytherin girls had also awoken to the loud sounds occurring somewhere within the castle walls.

Lilia sat up slowly, looking out the window and got up, making her way over. She looked outside, seeing only the darkness when suddenly there was a burst of light far below. Her eyes widened. "Fire…" she whispered.

"What?" Dawn asked. She threw off her bed covers and came to the window, taking in a sharp breath. "Fire!" she exclaimed in alarm.

The other girls looked around in concern, some coming to the window to look out at the devastation.

Lilia's eyes went elsewhere though. Her face paled more than usual, reaching for Dawn and shaking her arm.

Dawn looked up at her and then blinked. "What's wrong?" she asked.

Lilia pointed out the window ominously.

Dawn turned to look, her eyes widening. "Bloody hell…" she breathed.

Immediately, several of the girls went outside after grabbing a jacket, running through the crowds which filled the halls, heading out to the main courtyard.

Lilia hated the feeling building in her stomach.

There was an enormous crowd of students gathered outside, all standing and looking either at the Dark Mark high above the school as well as something else at the front of the group.

She turned her head when Harry himself passed through, Rubeus Hagrid following close behind, both of their expressions looking heavily burdened. She swallowed, turning to follow him through the crowd, wondering what had possibly happened that night. What was going to happen as a result?

Dawn tugged her arm and they moved closer, seeing then what everyone was so silent about.

Lilia knew the moment she saw him who it was. Dumbledore… He had died. Or rather, killed to be more precise. She just knew in her gut that he had been murdered. The Dark mark told her as much. She glanced up at it, hating the look of it.

Her eyes then fell back upon Harry who leaned over Dumbledore's body, sobbing helplessly at the death of his Headmaster and friend.

McGonagall raised her wand into the air slowly, a saddened look upon her old face, the tip of her wand glowing softly in respect for Dumbledore.

Several other teachers and students did the same, slowly raising their wands, the ends looking like soft candle flames almost.

Lilia felt herself reach into her jacket and produce her wand, lifting it along with the others around her into the air. She was surprised to see Dawn follow suit, doing the same thing. Other Slytherins too…

As much as Lilia didn't care for Dumbledore very much, the thought that Voldemort's group and quite possibly the Dark Lord himself had done this, and no doubt would do more, felt terrible and made her pity the display before her.

She looked up as all the light on their wands combined diminished the Dark Mark, making it fade away into the night skies from whence it was produced.

Lilia was surprised when she felt Dawn's fingers upon her cheek. She turned her head to look at the other girl silently, questions written across her face.

Dawn looked at her sadly. "You're crying…" she whispered sadly, clearly ignoring the tears in her own eyes.

Lilia felt her eyes well up again as she turned away, watching as Hagrid lifted Dumbledore's body into his arms, carrying him through the crowd to properly prepare him for burial. She let out a shaky breath, overwhelmed by the death of a Professor. She then felt a deep heavyness make itself known in her stomach and her eyes widened. Severus… She didn't see him standing with McGonagall or amongst any of the students. She turned to look at Dawn.

Dawn looked back at her and looked concerned. "What?" she asked.

"I have to go find someone," she whispered, moving away through the crowd.

Dawn watched Lilia disappear amongst the other students silently, making no move to stop her.

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She should have known…

He would leave with them…

He would not take her with him…

He left her behind just like she made him promise not to…

She felt her eyes welling up as she slumped to the floor in the Slytherin common room, not wanting to deal with anyone right now. Everyone was either in the halls or in the courtyard talking about what had occurred at Hogwarts that day and about Albus Dumbledore's murder… or they were asleep without a care in the world in their beds.

She bit her lip, wishing she could be the latter, wishing she could just ignore the abandonment she felt at that moment.

He hadn't even told her he would be leaving! He had just left!

A part of her wanted to think he was in another part of the castle, but the rest of her knew he was not. The rest of her knew he had left with the other Death Eaters who had infiltrated Hogwarts, and had not even given her any indication that he would be gone… He had just left her behind…

She shut her eyes tightly and hugged her legs, sniffling, trying to stop crying, but felt so alone and miserable.

What if he never came back for her? Who would she have to turn to? She couldn't rely on Dawn forever…

She whimpered, desperately wishing for Severus to return to Hogwarts and reassure her, lie to her… tell her everything would be alright even if they both knew it wouldn't. She wanted for him to take her with him and never leave her behind like he had that night…

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Lilia had come with Dawn to the procession of students and professors, as well as other guests of all sorts Lilia had never before seen. All were there for Dumbledore's funeral, the morning immediately after the horrid events had played out inside the castle walls, specifically the Astronomy Tower.

Her eyes scanned hopelessly over the guests, hoping for any sign of a head of greasy black hair, a hooked nose… but no such luck. He was nowhere to be seen and it crushed her to realize this fact yet again, even if she had known the moment she had reached his empty bed chambers the night previous…

By now, nearly the entire school had heard that Severus was the one to kill Dumbledore. News certainly travelled fast within the walls of Hogwarts.

"No sign of Professor Snape of course…" Dawn muttered absently, scanning the professors who'd shown up. "No one's seen him yet, from what I've heard," she said, looking at Lilia. "I never would have imagined he was… what he was," she shrugged, looking crestfallen to know her head of house had been the one to kill the headmaster himself.

Lilia's heart went out to her, knowing very well how she felt. She watched as other guests and students continued filing into the area next to the Lake where Dumbledore's funeral was to take place. She was a bit surprised to see the Weasley twins, but she supposed a lot of people who had known him over the years whether recent or not would be coming to pay their respects.

One of the red haired twins glanced over at her and solemnly waved, the other nodding their head in recognition.

She smiled back weakly, though the smile didn't reach her eyes at all.

"How are you, Lilia?" George asked her, shaking hands with Dawn politely.

Dawn didn't seem to mind for the time being that she was conversing with Gryffindors… or used to be Gryffindors actually.

She shrugged. "I'm fine…" she said.

Both Fred and George frowned, knowing she was lying.

She swallowed, her eyes pleading for them not to say a word.

They understood, glancing at Dawn for a moment, realizing the crimson haired girl had no idea who Severus was to Lilia. They respected her silent pleas and motioned for them both to come sit with them amongst the crowd, about halfway up the aisle.

She and Dawn thanked them, moving to sit to the twins sides, sitting down and remaining quiet until everyone was seated and had fallen even more silent, like a heavy thick cloak had shrouded all of the people, cutting off all noise and forcing them to make no sound, regardless of the bright sunshine which filtered down upon them as if taunting them all over their terrible loss, practically tormenting them to leave the invisible cloak of dread and enjoy a day of bliss and ignorance.

Lilia was amongst those who paid absolutely no attention to the beautiful weather, far too depressed over the events of the previous night to care.

At last, the procession began, the mer people of the Lake making their presence and sadness known first, through a mer-song, in the most eerie and saddest musical harmonies Lilia had ever heard in her life. She felt her eyes threatening to well up, so she rapidly tried to blink them away. If anyone were to ask, she would just say the death of Dumbledore had affected her, even though she felt miserable actually because she believed herself to have been entirely and thoroughly abandoned by the one person she had placed all her hope, trust and love into.

She lifted her gaze to watch as Hagrid, the gamekeeper carried a swaddled body up to the marble table at the front of the entire group.

Everyone knew that it was Dumbledore's body.

Dawn's breath hitched in her throat and she glanced at Lilia sadly. "I never was very fond of the man… Dumbledore, I mean… but I swear murder is just too much… at most, I would have just thought he was too old for the job and should retire…" she whispered.

Lilia felt almost like laughing for a moment at Dawn ludicrously normal thought and statement, but was distracted when the music stopped after Hagrid had sat down. She turned her head to the front of the crowd, paying close attention.

A small man garbed in black came to the front of the group and began a long speech, using several large words that more than likely entered one ear and escaped through the other in most students case, Lilia and Dawn being no exception.

Dawn merely chose not to listen to the long, boring, old speech fully, whereas Lilia had other, more important thoughts on her mind.

When he finished, Lilia watched him move off and resume his seat at the front of the group. She expected McGonagall of all people to go up and say some sort of speech, but no one made any move to do so.

That was when the flames erupted.

Lilia gasped in alarm, Dawn actually letting out a much louder gasp, covering her mouth as her eyes widened when the enormous white flames consumed the area where Dumbledore had been lain to rest.

When they vanished, what lay left behind in their wake was a white tomb, encasing Albus Dumbledore's body within it.

Lilia felt a lump form in her throat as the centaurs shot arrows into the air as their tribute, then turned away, going back to the forest from which they came, the mer people sliding back under the dark waters of the Lake.

Hagrid's howls of despair floated over the crowd as at last, they began to get up from their seats, either paying their respects or returning to their houses or their homes, whichever they had come from.

Lilia waled silently alongside Dawn for some time, heading up towards the castle under the bright sunny sky which hung in such striking contrast to the ominous and depressing events that morning.

Everyone, including Lilia, was relieved that classes and exams had been postponed. Lilia herself doubted she could handle focusing on academics right that day, or the days to come either.

"Are you headed home then?" Dawn asked her as they walked up the grassy hill perpendicular to the forbidden forest.

Lilia shrugged. "I can't…" she said. "He's left already…" she said. "Bit of a hurry I'm guessing…" she whispered. It wasn't a lie, so Lilia hoped Dawn would just leave it at that and not bother her about it.

Dawn seemed to get as much from her friend's expression, her own face softening. She reached over and laced her fingers reassuringly with Lilia's, giving her a soft squeeze. "Then you're coming home with me. To see the family again," she said confidently.

Lilia looked at her quietly while they walked and then squeezed back gently. "I would like that a lot…" she said in relief.

Dawn smiled at her. "I don't think mum will mind. She'll be thrilled to have you back," she assured Lilia with a grin. "And besides, since school has closed earlier than usual, we have more time to spend our free time together," she nodded.

Lilia smiled weakly. "I would greatly like that," she nodded.

Dawn smiled at her. "It's settled then. You're staying with us Pyrites again over the entire summer and your stupid boyfriend who so rudely left you here can just sit and worry alone at home," she beamed.

Lilia glanced at Dawn. She half hoped she was right and Severus was at home, waiting for her to come there. But if he wasn't, she had nowhere else to go but with Dawn. She supposed all she could do now was go with Dawn, stay there and see what happened.

Dawn smiled. "So its set then? You're staying with us?"

She thought it over once more and then nodded. "I will," she said, looking at the distant horizon thoughtfully, then at Dawn with relief and appreciation for having such an incredible friend.

Dawn was pleased with this news and moved to give Lilia a hug she sincerely looked like she needed. When she pulled away, she sighed, heading back towards the school. "I suppose we should pack now then. The train leaves tomorrow morning," she said, looking at Lilia. "Apparently all the parents have been alerted of the situation, so my parents will be there to get us tomorrow," she assured Lilia.

Lilia nodded, making her way up the grassy hills of the Hogwarts school grounds.

She hoped that the school would reopen the following year and somehow Severus would come back. That was all she hoped for in the coming months. If she didn't see him when she returned, she didn't think she could bear it. He had to return. Murderer or not, she loved him and needed him by her side so much it almost hurt sometimes.

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(( Aww, so I hope you all enjoyed this chapter : 3 More to come of course ^^ Loads more drama ;) haha, AND since I'm home now I can scan through the actual book of the Deathly Hallows now and get some ideas from there of course as well as the film :D lol Anywho! Please review :D They make writing this story even more worth while to write each day and night haha (because apparently this is all I do now xDDDD) EVEN with a messed up shoulder muscle and disgustingly crowded work schedule haha :D ))


	47. Wishing for You

(( And so the serious drama begins to unfold! Dun dun dunnn :P Glad you all seemed to enjoy chapter 46 :D So now I'm reading The Deathly Hallows so I can get more info from it xD BUT I will also be watching the movies in relation so some bits might only happen in the book and some only in the movie or whatever :P I'm just writing in what benefits my story better :P Anyways! Here you are :D Chapter 47 ^^ Enjoy! J

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter or any affiliated works. If I did, this fan fiction wouldn't exist, would it? :O ))

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"Do you recognize our guest, Severus?" asked Voldemort.

Snape raised his eyes to the upside down face, recognizing her immediately as none other than Charity Burbage. Professor of Muggle Studies at Hogwarts.

"Severus! Help me!" she pleaded, tears running down her face and into her hair, regardless of the fact that she was suspended upside down. Her eyes were side, pleading for her college to help her, spare her.

"Ah, yes…" Severus said calmly, though in honest truth, on the inside he felt thoroughly sickened by the display.

"And you Draco?" Voldemort asked while he pet Nagini, his beloved snake and Horcrux.

Draco shook his head quickly, not daring to make eye contact with the Dark Lord seated only a few persons away.

"But you would not have taken her classes," Voldemort spoke. "For those of you who do not know, we are joined here tonight by Charity Burbage who, until recently, taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry…" he smirked.

There was recognition and the slightest commotion amongst those seated along the table within Malfoy Manor.

"Yes… Professor Burbage taught the children of witches and wizards all about Muggles… how they are not so different from us…"

Severus narrowed his eyes as he watched one of the other Death Eaters present spit onto the floor in utter disgust and contempt at the thought of such classes being taught at such an esteemed wizarding school which held much as far as potential went. His eyes traveled back up to meet Charity Burbage's gaze as her body revolved yet again to face him, her eyes pleading for help.

"Severus… please… please…" she whimpered.

"Silence," said Voldemort, with another twitch of Malfoy's wand, and Charity fell silent as if suddenly gagged by some unseen force. Voldemort narrowed his eyes. "Not content with corrupting and polluting the minds of wizarding children, last week Professor Burbage wrote and impassioned defence of Mudbloods in the Daily Prophet," he said.

Severus felt a muscle tighten in his jaw, his body tensing ever so slightly at the mention of that awful word.

Lilia.

His thoughts immediately strayed to that lovely dark haired girl, whom he had not seen since that fateful night when he'd done what he had been forced and agreed to do; killing Albus Dumbledore. He tried to relax, hoping she was somewhere safe and alright. At the very best, she had managed to find herself a place with her Pyrites friend and was staying with her for the summer. He could only hope, having avoided returning to Spinner's End since school had been cancelled and students had been sent home for a slightly extended summer due to the rise of certain events. He feared returning and finding traces of her, feared being unable to resist the urge to find her.

His attention was reverted back to the matter at hand when Voldemort continued to speak.

"Wizards, she says, must accept these theives of their knowledge and magic. The dwindling of the pure-bloods is, says Professor Burbage, a most desirable circumstance," he smirked almost mockingly. He then frowned, anger setting in upon his features. "She would have us all mate with Muggles… or no doubt, werewolves…"

No one in the room laughed over the taunt, directed particularly at the Malfoys and Bellatrix Lestrange, due to their niece, Nymphadora Tonks, marrying the werewolf, Remus Lupin.

Severus looked up as Burbage revolved to face him for a third time, tears still streaming down her face, paying no mind to gravitational force at that moment. Snape looked back at her, quite impassive, as she turned slowly away from him again.

"Avada Kedavra."

That terrible flash of green light illuminated every surface of the room as the curse left Malfoy's wand, striking Charity Burbage directly, her body crashing onto the tabletop before all the Death Eaters.

Severus looked silently at the limp and lifeless body of his used to be colleague. She would never move, never speak, never teach again. Why? Because she had strived for equality amongst witches and wizards… Equality that the Dark Lord would never allow. He forced himself to keep looking at her body a while longer, but eventually glanced away, the thought of the very real possibility of Lilia ending up just as lifeless in the coming times disturbing him. He would do anything to protect her… even if it put his own life in danger. But for the time being, he could not distract himself with thoughts and concerns over her. He had to do what he had promised to do a long time ago. That was something he could not dismiss, regardless of how much he wanted to find Lilia and keep her with him to ensure that she was still safe.

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Lilia sat upon the windowsill in her temporary room during the summer. She stared out at the outskirts of the country side which the Pyrites family lived out in, the night sky adorned with millions of stars.

She tucked back a section of her hair which freely billowed out towards the window which was wide open to let in the fresh warm breeze. It wasn't often such beautiful weather arrived during nightfall… When it did, everyone, even witches and wizards took advantage of it.

She closed her eyes, letting that same group of hair slide out from behind her ear and lace gently into the invisible fingers of the wind, for a moment pretending they were his fingers.

She missed Severus terribly…

She had written several times over the last few months to Spinner's End, sending each letter to his address, in the hopes of obtaining a reply of any kind. She'd explained that she was with Dawn and she was safe. She told him how she had gotten her school items already, and was looking forward to seeing him the following term.

And yet there was no reply. Not a single one.

It broke her heart every time she went to the desk and pulled out her stationary, inking her quill and began to write yet another letter, even though she knew there would be very little chance of him replying at all. Lately she'd come to terms with the fact that there actually was no chance whatsoever. Even though she knew this though, she still wrote… hoping, that maybe, just maybe a letter might come her way eventually.

"Lilia?"

She opened her eyes, those green orbs staring out the open window at the beautiful scenery of the wide open fields, then turned and looked up at Dawn who stood in the doorway of her room.

Dawn looked at her and smiled slightly. "Come on, everything's ready…" she said.

Lilia nodded after a moment's hesitation, having forgotten that as of midnight, she was turning 16.

Without him…

She rose to her feet, her favourite navy blue dress with buttons down the front and two little pockets on the sides smoothing as she straightened herself up. She reached back, pulling her hair over one shoulder, down the front of herself as she walked barefoot across the hardwood floor to where Dawn stood, waiting.

Dawn smiled, offering a hand out to her and when Lilia took it, she laced their fingers together and led Lilia down the hallway and towards the stairs. "You excited at all?" she asked.

Lilia shrugged, giving no response otherwise.

Dawn looked at her and sighed. "It's okay…" she whispered, stopping and looked at Lilia. "You're allowed to enjoy your sixteenth birthday, even if your bloke of a boyfriend doesn't show up or do anything to make it special…" she assured her. She ran her fingers over Lilia's black fine hair, smoothing it a little and smiled. "Come on… smile?" she encouraged gently.

Lilia looked at Dawn without much expression for a moment, but then her eyes welled up. "I just wished he would write back at least…" she whispered finally, looking down. "Especially for today…" she admitted, sniffling helplessly.

Dawn's eyes grew saddened, seeing Lilia reduced to tears again. Her friend had been crying several nights a week when she thought everyone else was asleep… but Dawn listened. She listened to how agonizingly lonely Lilia's muffled sobs were from the next room. She listened to the pitiful whimpers of someone who's most selfish desire was to be loved by another person.

Dawn sighed softly and put her arms around Lilia, hugging her delicately, as though afraid the girl might literally break if she held her too hard.

Lilia placed her forehead upon Dawn's shoulder and shut her eyes tightly, trying to stifle her sobs, not wanting to look like she'd just been crying when everyone was waiting downstairs to celebrate her birthday the moment she turned sixteen.

Dawn said nothing, just letting Lilia calm herself down. She knew well enough not to say anything rude about Lilia's alleged boyfriend right now. She just stroked her black hair, smelling the sweet scent of coconut shampoo she knew was Lilia's favourite and waited quietly.

When Lilia had calmed herself enough, she stood up, letting out a slightly shaky sigh. She wiped under her eyes carefully, then looked at Dawn. "Sorry…"

Dawn shook her head. "Don't worry. We all break down over little things that just prove to be too much, once in a while," she smirked. "You should see me. I wail like there's no tomorrow sometimes just because I can't find my favourite shirt sometimes," she giggled.

Lilia smiled weakly. "Thanks…" she said.

Dawn grinned, taking Lilia's hand. "Come on, forget everything bad right now and just have fun tonight. It's all for you."

Lilia nodded and held Dawn's hand as they proceeded down the stairs to the kitchen, where Declan, Tamora and Felix stood by a large birthday cake which looked so good it made chocolate envious.

Declan grinned, his arm around his wife's waist. "All together now," he said.

Dawn smirked, rushing over and stood next to Felix, the two siblings grappling for that tiny space of air which had momentarily gone unoccupied.

Lilia smiled at them, looking at the family which had included her so easily in their activities, willingly.

"Happy Sixteenth Birthday, Lilia!" the four Pyrites chimed together, all beaming in excitement over Lilia's birthday.

Lilia felt herself smiling at the sight before her and approached them at the table.

"Blow out your candles! You absolutely MUST make a wish," Dawn insisted.

Lilia looked at her with a slight smirk, then leaned forward, tucking her hair back with one hand, clearly not wanting her hair to be set on fire. She then took in a deep breath and blew out all the candles one by one, each of them going out.

The family all cheered in delight, Tamora beaming as she pulled out the cake plates and little dainty forks, setting them out and plating a very hefty slice of cake on each one, much to Dawn's excitement as she stuck her fork almost immediately into the chocolatey goodness that was her giant slab of cake.

Lilia followed Dawn into the living room when they both had their cake, Dawn having gotten hers second to Lilia of course, and sat down upon the comfortable clean sofa, beginning to eat their slices.

"I picked out the recipe myself from a cookbook," Dawn said proudly.

Lilia smiled at her. "As always you have astoundingly good tastes," she said, eating another piece of cake.

Felix smirked as he came and sat across from them, his own generous portion of cake in hand. "Happy Birthday Lilia," he said. "So, what did you wish for?" he asked with a grin.

Dawn glowered, chucking a book across the room at him. "Don't ask her! She isn't supposed to tell or it won't come true," she reprimanded.

He put on a fake pout. "But I'm just dying to know," he said.

Lilia smiled. "Secret."

Dawn grinned. "Hah, see? She doesn't want to tell you anyways," she said proudly, puffing out her chest a little with pride.

Felix grinned, rolling his eyes. "Shame shame," he said. He then grinned at Lilia. "I've got something for you, by the way," he said, reaching behind the chair and pulling out a box wrapped in blue paper. "Hope you like it," he said, holding it out to her.

She unwrapped it and her eyes widened slightly, lifting up the brand new sketchbook and pencils. "Oh wow," she said softly.

He smiled. "I noticed yours is getting pretty full, so I figured even though it isn't much you would appreciate it," he smirked. "Besides, I figured it's about time you got something other than dresses," he laughed.

Dawn glowered. "Oh shut up. Lilia likes dresses perfectly fine," she huffed.

Lilia smiled. "Yea, dresses are nice," she said.

Felix stuck his tongue out. "She Isn't your personal doll," he taunted.

Dawn made a face. "Actually, Lilia had already agreed to be my personal clothing guinea pig," she said matter of factly.

Lilia raised a brow at this. "I did?"

Dawn grinned, then Lilia laughed, making Dawn laugh with her.

Felix himself chuckled, amused by the close friendship his sister had developed with Lilia.

"Well, I best be off to bed after this cake," he said, finishing his slice in a few seconds flat.

Dawn smirked. "Good luck falling asleep with all that sugar in your system," she said.

He smirked. "I think I can manage, thanks."

Dawn shrugged, not saying anything to that. She then turned and looked at Lilia while she finished her cake and smiled. "You think we should try to get some sleep after this?" she asked.

Lilia sighed and nodded, looking at her plate. She scraped up the last bit of icing left on it and licked her fork, then looked at Dawn. "I suppose so," she mumbled around her fork.

Dawn grinned and stood.

Lilia followed suit, walking back to the kitchen with Dawn and they both rinsed off their plates, Lilia thanking Tamora and Declan for a wonderful party right at midnight. She then turned and followed Dawn up the stairs to their rooms.

"You want to come sleep in my room?" Dawn asked her before she could disappear into the confines of her own guest room.

Lilia looked at her quietly and then nodded, a smile appearing on her lips. "Sure. Let me get changed and grab my things," she said.

Dawn beamed and nodded, going into her room.

Lilia went into hers and pulled her dress off over her head, then got into a nightgown, picking up her pillow and gathering her blankets as she moved to Dawn's bedroom.

Dawn looked up from her pillow and smiled, shifting over on her own large bed, ample space provided for several people with ease.

Lilia lay down next to her, plumping her own pillow and then draped the blanket over herself, looking at the ceiling.

Dawn looked at Lilia quietly. "So… what did you wish for?" she asked suddenly.

Lilia turned her head to look at the other girl and smirked. "Secret."

Dawn stuck her tongue out. "Meanie."

Lilia laughed softly and then sighed, turning her head and closed her eyes to try and get some sleep that night.

Her wish…

She opened her eyes, looking up at the ceiling, then glanced over to see Dawn already fast asleep. She smiled. Dawn could sleep through a hurricane and war zone without budging a single muscle sometimes…

Sighing softly, she thought of Severus. Where was he? Why had he not written back to her? She supposed it must be harder than she originally thought it was to be a Death Eater as well as Dumbledore's man… But she still desperately wanted to see him again. That was her only dearest wish right now.

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"It's bad, Tamora!" Declan hissed from the kitchen table one morning over the summer. "The Ministry is being completely taken over by those… monstrosities, and there's not a single thing I or anyone who wants to, can do about it," he said firmly.

Tamora crossed her arms, looking at Declan with concern. She then glanced at Felix who looked morbid and depressed at what was happening. "What about Hogwarts?" she asked suddenly.

Felix shrugged. "There's nothing that can be done there… the Death Eaters have pretty much taken over it already. No where's safe," he said.

Declan glanced at Felix wearily.

Dawn entered the kitchen suddenly, yawning drowsily. "What's everyone all worried about?" she asked. "You all sounded so serious from the hallway," she chuckled, starting the tea kettle for herself.

Lilia followed her in only moments after and took a seat at the table, rubbing her eyes sleepily.

Tamora looked at Declan worriedly, then at Dawn. "Sweet heart… I don't think it's a good idea for you and Lilia to return to Hogwarts this year," she said.

Dawn blinked, suddenly very wide awake. She looked at Tamora in confusion. "Why not?" she asked in outrage. "I love going to Hogwarts every year, and so does Lilia. We have to go back," she insisted.

Lilia looked at Tamora wide eyed, hating the idea of not going back to school. It was the only place she loved more in the world than even Snape's home (as depressing as the neighbourhood was) and the Pyrites household.

"Dawn, the Death Eaters have taken control of Hogwarts and it's only a matter of time before they take over the Ministry as well," Felix said from his seat in concern.

Lilia's heart gave a lurch. The Death Eaters had taken over Hogwarts… Severus was with them… He might be there! "We have to go back," Lilia insisted.

Dawn nodded. "See mum? Even Lilia agrees with me," she said.

Tamora groaned. "Dawn, you're only a child. You don't understand how dangerous it is there now," she said, her tone pleading for Dawn to be reasonable.

Dawn glared furiously. "Hogwarts is where me and Lilia are returning to in September. We have to," she said firmly.

"It isn't safe anymore," Declan said firmly.

Dawn glared at her father. "No where is safe. Hogwarts isn't safe, the Ministry isn't safe, even here at home it isn't safe. So really it makes no difference where me and Lilia are for the ear. Here or at school. We're in danger no matter what," she said. "So please… let us go back. I want to and I'm more than willing to bet Lilia wants to go back too," she said.

Tamora shut her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Dawn… please…"

Dawn shook her head. "No. Me and Lilia are taking the Hogwarts Express to school at the beginning of term, even if we have to walk to King's Cross Station," she said.

Lilia looked at Dawn, wanting to stand up for her desire to return to school, but was afraid to upset Tamora who already looked ready to cry at the thought of her daughter being in so much danger in direct association with Death Eaters.

Dawn looked at Tamora, feeling guilty for upsetting her so much, but knew she had to hold firm to her need to return to Hogwarts. "Mum… I love you. But I want to go back… you know that we aren't any safer here than we are at Hogwarts… just let me and Lilia go back. We'll be alright," she nodded.

Lilia looked don at the table, dfeeling very awkward in such a situation.

Felix sighed and laced his fingers together, resting his forehead against his knuckles, shutting his eyes. The situation was just far beyond stressful.

Declan finally relented and looked away. "She's right, Tam…" he said and closed his eyes for a moment.

Tamora opened her eyes and looked at Declan in shock. "What?"

Declan looked at his wife and sighed. "Dawn and Lilia aren't any safer here than they are at Hogwarts… In fact, I have no doubt in my mind other Hogwarts staff will refuse to let the Death Eaters run the school entirely their way, so there is still safety there for those children…" he said.

Tamora's eyes welled up. "Declan…"

Felix thought of something. "It's true. And besides that. Who do the Death Eaters support? Voldemort. Direct relation to Salazar Slytherin, meaning the Slytherin house holds higher ground than the others," he pointed out. "I doubt the Death Eaters will give much trouble to Dawn and Lilia because they're both Slytherin," he stated calmly.

Dawn looked at Felix and nodded, turning back to her mom. "Mum, please. Me and Lilia will be fine. Honest. We'll stay out of harm's way, we won't be troubled by any Death Eaters because we're from the better house, and Professor McGonagall is the new headmistress. She won't let any Death Eaters harm any of us if she can do anything about it," she said softly.

Tamora shut her eyes and finally after several minutes of tense silence, she nodded.

Dawn smiled in relief and moved to embrace her mother. "I promise I won't get into any harm," she assured her.

Tamora sighed, holding Dawn close. "You better. Or I swear I'll find some horrid punishment for you to deal with when you get home," she said.

Dawn grinned, nodding. "Deal," she said.

Declan sighed. "I just hope McGonagall is ready for the trouble that is about to come her way with this new year…" he said with a serious expression.

Dawn and Felix glowered at him, not needing Tamora to find any more reasons to have a nervous breakdown and refuse to let Dawn and Lilia go back to school.

Either way, Lilia smiled, glad to be allowed to return to Hogwarts next month, but more than that, she felt relief that she just might get to see Severus again. She certainly hoped so…

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(( Hooray! Chapter 47 :D Dramatic? Nee? Anyways J Early update this morning since I'm working from 2:30 until closing again J Wish me luck with the mad rushes! Haha :D Anyways, please review and lemme know how you think I did with this chapter ^w^ I hope I did a swell job lol ))


	48. Capture

(( Alright. SO I'm starting to grow very tired of these reviews where people say my writing is offensive and disgusting because of there being like over 20 years of age difference between Lilia and Snape. Guess what. Go somewhere where somebody actually CARES about your offended self J Cause this here is MY fan fiction, I'm not forcing you to read it, so don't bother me. I find it extremely annoying when they read ALLLLLLLLL these chapters THEN when one thing that they don't like happens and they take the time to write a mile long review saying it's pedophilia and such. Guess what. I was unnervingly mature for a ten year old back in the day, I've known a girl who was 16 and dating a man in his forties. They were unbelievably happy together. I also know a friend of mine who ended up marrying a guy who was like 40 years older than she was a few years back. They're STILL married and happy. So guess what. Your "beliefs" that say I shouldn't write what I want to because it may offend people or misguide "young and shameful people" … REALLY doesn't matter to me J So go somewhere else and sob to someone who cares. Thank you a MILLION *bows* As for Lilia being unbelievably mature for her age? Ahem… was Harry not 11 years old when he totally kicked Voldemort's ass knowingly? Yea. STFU, you want realistic stories? Go read the fucking newspaper or something -_- This story is rated EM for a friggin reason kay? So people like YOU can be aware before you read it there may be things you don't like IN IT! -_-

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the affiliated works. If I did, THERE WOULD BE LOTS OF SEVERUS LOVING! XD No, jokes of course lmao ))

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Lilia silently stared out the window of the cabby as the train left King's Cross Station and made it's way winding through the hills and valleys of Scotland towards Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Dawn had excused herself to go use the facilities temporarily, leaving Lilia to sit on her own.

Sighing, she watched the greenery sweep past silently, her thoughts straying back to what she hoped was waiting upon her arrival at Hogwarts. She hoped he was there for her. She hoped he was alright. More than anything though, she hoped he hadn't abandoned with the intention of never seeing her again.

"You nervous to go back?"

Lilia turned her head and looked up at Dawn. "Sorry?"

Dawn giggled, sitting across from Lilia and looked at her, a brow raised. "Are you nervous to go back?" she asked.

Lilia shrugged. "Not really."

Dawn nodded. "I am…" she admitted.

Lilia looked at her and stayed silent, unsure of what to say.

Dawn glanced up at Lilia somewhat guiltily. "I know I told my mom I would come back to Hogwarts no matter what, and I do want to, but I'm nervous… Sounds stupid doesn't it?" Dawn asked, sighing as she looked down.

Lilia frowned. "Not at all."

Dawn glanced up at her.

Lilia rested her chin on her palm and looked at Dawn. "You aren't stupid for being nervous to go back. You would be stupid not to be," she said.

Dawn raised a brow. "But you said…"

Lilia shook her head. "Forget what I said…" she said and turned back to look out the window.

Dawn sighed, noticing how over the entire month of August, Lilia had slipped slowly but surely back to her old anti social ways, not talking unless she absolutely had to, and no longer smiling. It was depressing to look at as well as frustrating that Lilia was letting one boy affect her so much. Dawn figured he was a complete idiot for not letting Lilia know anything during their time apart.

Lilia subconsciously twirled the ring slowly around her finger, staring out the window silently.

"If he's there," Dawn said, looking at Lilia, "Your boyfriend I mean. If he's returned to Hogwarts for this year, are you going to just forgive him for not letting you know where he's been all summer?" she asked.

Lilia turned to look at Dawn quietly. "I know where he's been…" she said calmly.

Dawn huffed. "I mean, are you going to forgive him for just leaving you behind and not writing or anything?" she asked.

Lilia looked at Dawn silently. "What do you mean?"

Dawn rolled her eyes, glancing out the window for a moment while she formulated in her head how to properly ask the question. "I saw you writing all those letters. I'm no fool. They were all to him," she said and looked at Lilia with a slight frown. "I want to know. Are you just going to allow him to go on as if him never replying after leaving you at Hogwarts after Dumbledore's funeral is normal?" she asked.

Lilia remained quiet for some time and then nodded.

Dawn glared. "Why?"

Lilia looked out the window again. "Because he had his reasons and I've come to terms with it," she said.

Dawn glared, crossing her arms and slumped back in her seat, clearly annoyed. "So you'll just crawl back to him and forgive him? What if he does it again? Just abandons you like that?" she asked.

Lilia sighed. "Dawn, I don't know. But for right now, he had his reasons and I knew that. I shouldn't have acted the way I did, but I've gotten over it and now I'm trying to look forward to seeing him again and hoping he's alright," she said sternly.

Dawn frowned at Lilia for a moment, then turned and looked out the window grumpily.

It was for some time that the two friends stayed silent towards one another, only turning to look at one another in confusion when the train suddenly was forced to a stop nowhere near Hogwarts school.

Lilia looked up as the doorway to the Slytherin sixth year compartment slid open and two large men stepped in.

It was instantaneous, the silencing effect these two had on the students who sat without moving a muscle, just watching the two men walking slowly through the aisle, eyeing each and every student.

One of the two leaned over and grabbed the embroidered house logo upon one of the students cloaks where he sat. "Slytherin, eh?" he sneered, letting go of the students cloak and moved slowly and menacingly through the compartment.

It was all too obvious who these men were of course.

The other one smirked menacingly as he stepped after his partner, his eyes roaming over the stoic and unsmiling faces of the students seated. "There wouldn't happen to be any… mud bloods… on here, are there?" he smirked.

Lilia felt a muscle in her eye twitch.

Dawn noticed, reaching under their table and squeezing Lilia's hand, her eyes pleading for her not to do or say anything. Best to not react and not give oneself away for the time being.

"No matter…" the first one to speak smirked darkly. "You'll all be submitted to questioning sooner or later…" he said darkly. "It won't be fun for any of you… so it's best to let us know now, while we're in a good mood where the mud bloods are hidden," he said.

Dawn swallowed, hating how they spoke, as if talking to little babies who didn't understand what was going on.

One of the two noticed and sneered as he leaned close to Dawn, one hand upon the table in front of her, the other, behind her head, holding onto the edge of the booth seat. "What about you, pretty girl?" he smirked.

Dawn made no move, not even a flinch from him as he watched her. She just stared ahead calmly, a frown upon her brow. "No."

"No? No what?" he smirked.

"I'm no muggle-born witch," she stated firmly.

"Oh really," he chuckled, straightening up. "And just what are you then?" he asked, picking up a lock of her wavy hair and playing with it a little, knowing it would unnerve her.

"A pure blood witch. Pyrites," she stated clearly.

"Pyrites?" he smirked. "Really. And who are you parents?"

Dawn clenched her teeth. "Tamora and Declan Pyrites."

He smirked. "Declan? Really, what does he do?" he asked.

She closed her eyes for a minute at these tedious questions, being careful when she answered them. "He works for the Ministry of Magic."

"Department?"

"Department of Magical Law Enforcement."

"Division?"

"Auror Office."

He stood up straight and wiped his nose, eyeing her carefully. "Declan Pyrites. Auror…" he smirked. "So, then what does your mother do?"

She frowned. "She stays at home and takes care of the household," she said, glancing up at him.

He smirked. "Must be nice for her," he sneered.

Dawn narrowed her eyes slightly but said nothing.

"She a witch too?" he asked.

Dawn felt a muscle in her jaw twitch but nodded only.

He grinned. "Really… I suppose we'll just have to wait for proof," he said.

Dawn glared up at him.

He sneered at her, backing off a little, then looked at Lilia. "And what about you, love?" he smirked, approaching more closely to her. "You a pure blood too?"

Dawn looked at the man hatefully as he reached out, running a finger along Lilia's jaw line, tilting her head up to look at him.

Lilia stared up at him without fear or discomfort in her eyes. She didn't care that he would interrogate her. She merely stayed quiet, not making any sound.

Dawn smirked faintly. "She's lost her voice," she said calmly.

The Death Eater frowned, turning to look at Dawn. "What?"

Dawn shrugged. "She caught one of those summer colds and lost her voice. Sore throat," she stated calmly, crossing her arms.

He narrowed his eyes. "And so who is she?" he said with a slight growl.

"Lilia Gunner…" she said calmly.

He raised a brow. "Parents?"

"She's an orphan. She mentioned one of her parents was a witch or wizard but I can't remember which," she explained.

He rolled his eyes, then roughly shoved Lilia's face away. "Whatever… we'll all find out soon enough whether you're lying or not," he smirked.

With that being said, the train began to move towards Hogwarts again while the Death Eaters went around interrogating and trying to intimidate the other students.

Lilia watched them go about, then looked at Dawn. "Why did you lie to them?" she asked.

Dawn turned to look out the window, her arms still crossed. "I don't like the way they said Mudblood… not only is it a filthy word to begin with, but there's something more than them merely going about wanting to know who is what. And I don't like the feeling I'm getting," she said.

Lilia looked at her silently, then turned to look out the window, falling silent again, feeling like something absolutely horrible was about to happen.

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Lilia and Dawn got off the train at Hogsmeade station together, looking around curiously as people were rounded up, divided from their friends or family.

Dawn sucked in a breath and held Lilia's hand. "Bloody hell… they're rounding up muggle borns…" she whispered.

Lilia looked in outrage as several adults snatched students here and there, dragging them away, some of them disapparating so quickly no one realized they were gone until they looked directly at where their friend or cousin had been standing a moment ago.

Lilia felt bile rising in her throat, chilled by the outraged screams of other students who tried to get away.

Dawn gripped Lilia's hand tighter and turned to try and run with her, but met the torso of a black garbed man. She and Lilia looked up at him wide eyed, frozen with fear for a moment.

"Ah ah ah… not so fast," the long haired man smirked, grabbing them both and disapparated so fast, Lilia hadn't even had time to register that she had been caught until it was too late.

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(( Dun dun dunnnn. :O Dramatic? Yes? No? xD SOOO yea. That's chapter 48. A bit short, BUT I wanted the focus to be when the Death Eaters and Snatchers take the Muggle borns and half bloods to the Ministry for interrogation J Hope you enjoyed it ^^ Review please! :D ))


	49. Trial

(( I officially love all my readers :D Ignore the immature bashing of someone who clearly has no life who insists on reading my story and then saying all of you should be ashamed of yourselves *rolls eyes* Some people seriously have some major hate issues. Also, people, seriously. You KNOW when you started the story Lilia was only 13, and Snape was already at LEAST 34 or 35. It shouldn't have been such a shock that Lilia was way younger when they did their thing. As for Severus not being attracted to her because she's a child? Okay that's just ridiculous. MEN THINK WITH THE WRONG HEAD SWEETHEART! If they see a hot or attractive 15 or 16 year old girl who sometimes COULD LOOK a little older, maybe 18 or 19 at times, they think "wow… I wish I had her". My own father says this all the time, and you know its true when you see that teacher checking out the short uniform skirts on his students! Age doesn't matter. If the girl is good looking, guys like her, regardless of how old they are. So there. If you immediately think a huge age gap between Severus and Lilia means this is pedophilia, then you know what? Stop reading now cause I'm sick of your ignorant statements. No one says ANYTHING about the fact that some girl in Jane Austen's story (I believe it was Sense and Sensibility someone said?) married a 30 plus year old man when she was 16 or something. NOBODY says that is pedophilia, so you know what? -w- Shut up. The story has gone on for 49 chapters now and Lilia isn't going to be SUDDENLY older to fit YOUR ideals. So if you seriously have a problem with it, stop reading now J Spare myself the heinous annoying and stupid reviews and yourself a few minutes while writing them ;) Whatever, not my problem. Just because you say you don't like it, doesn't mean the story is gonna change for you. I like it, Lilia is 13 when it starts because it just fit better that way, and whats done is done. If all you have to review is say "THIS IS GROSS, YOU'RE DISGUSTING FOR WRITING THIS" then don't bother. It's been said, and I've smiled and replied back in here because apparently you stay alllll anonymous, not wanting me to send you a pm stating WHY I write the story the way I do, so whatever.

All your support brings a smile to my face and I'm very thrilled that you all loved the previous chapter so much :D Lol, enjoy the cliff hanger? ;) Haha :P Well here you are, chapter 49! :D Enjoy ~

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the affiliated works. If I did, I would be a rich British lady who owns several houses and has millions in her bank account ;) xDDD ))

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"Let go of me!" Dawn screamed in complete outrage as she was shoved ahead roughly down the cold, dark halls of the place she recognized as belonging to the Ministry.

Lilia struggled against the Snatcher who had her arms clutched behind her and glared when she felt her wand being removed. "Give it back!" she exclaimed.

"Oh shut up. You two are going to spend a lovely night in a lovely cell until you're summoned in the morning," one of the men said, shoving Lilia into a cell separate from Dawn, while the other student was taken further down the hall.

"Summoned for what?" Dawn exclaimed from down the hall.

All that met her question was a loud clang as her cell door was shut somewhere further down the hall.

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Lilia sighed, staring at the opposite wall in her cell. She tapped her head softly back against the cold black wall. Dawn and her had been brought to the Ministry of Magic. Something extremely bad was happening and Lilia knew it was more than just being kidnapped from Hogwarts by a pair of strange men.

"The Muggleborn Registration Commission," came a familiar voice.

Lilia looked out into the hall, not responding.

"Lilia?" Dawn called out.

"Hmm?" she responded faintly. Dawn sounded a while away, easily a few cells away.

"That's why we're here. The Muggleborn Registration Commission," Dawn explained. "I saw the sign on the way down here… I don't know exactly what they do, but whatever it is, it can't be good. Not from what I saw at the Hogwarts arrival station," she said.

Lilia contemplated it for some time and then closed her eyes. "I suppose we'll find out soon enough," she murmured.

"What?" Dawn called out from somewhere down the hall.

Lilia didn't reply.

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Lilia awoke the following morning to the sound of the gates to her cell being unlocked and slid open. She sat up from the wall she had fallen asleep against and rubbed her eyes, looking up drowsily at the man who stood in uniform.

"Get up," he ordered.

She rose from the cold black marble floor and approached the man, not fighting him off as he grasped her arm roughly and guided her down the passage of cells in the hall. She looked in each one and frowned when they reached the end of the hall. "Where's Dawn?" she asked firmly, glaring up at the man as he dragged her along through the corridors.

"Your red headed friend was released last night. Her father came to get her. He tried to take you with them but you haven't been questioned and declared innocent yet."

"Innocent of what?" Lilia exclaimed.

"Stealing magic from a witch or wizard," he said with a serious expression.

Lilia gaped at him in utter disbelief. "Stealing magic? That isn't even possible," she glowered at him.

"That's what we thought," he smirked, shoving her through a door and into the room where Lilia would face trial for her alleged "crimes".

Lilia sat down in the one chair in the middle of the large room and looked around, frowning slightly at the man as he stood, blocking the entrance or exit, whichever way you chose to look at it. She turned to look up at the judge's chair, her blood boiling when she saw it was none other than Dolores Umbridge. She narrowed her eyes as she sat back, a deep irritated sigh escaping her as the pink clad monstrosity took her seat and smiled in a very fake way at Lilia.

"Good morning, Miss. Gunner. How unfortunate we must meet under such awful circumstances, don't you think?"

Lilia watched her silently, not responding.

Umbridge smiled daintily. "Hmph… well then. Let's begin, shall we?" she asked, raising a brow slightly.

Lilia quirked a brow slightly at her, waiting for her to begin this pointless stupid trial process.

"Name," Umbridge demanded.

Lilia narrowed her eyes, wondering why Umbridge wanted to know her name if she already knew her from school. "Lilia Gunner," she said calmly, her voice completely unwavering.

"Is this your wand?" she asked, raising the exact wand that had been confiscated from Lilia's body when she and Dawn had been brought to the Ministry last night.

Lilia nodded silently.

"I cannot hear you, Miss. Gunner," Umbridge said strictly.

Lilia sighed. "Yes. That is my wand…" she said.

"And how did you obtain said wand?"

"I bought it at Ollivander's, in Diagon Alley like everyone else," she said.

"Liar!" Umbridge shrieked suddenly.

Lilia actually flinched slightly and looked at the woman in alarm. "Excuse me?"

"You did not buy this wand. You are a Muggle born child. You have no magical power which was passed down to you from either parent, meaning you stole that magic from a witch or wizard. Who did you steal said magic from?" Umbridge demanded.

Lilia glared furiously at her. "I didn't steal it! I was born with it!"

"Lies!" Umbridge exclaimed. "Who are your parents?" she demanded to know.

Lilia looked at her in utter disbelief. "My parents have nothing to do with this!" she exclaimed.

"Your background and parents have everything to do with this. As a muggle born, you did not inherit your magical abilities from either parent, meaning you stole it from someone else who rightfully had ownership over it," she said. "You are a thief," she spat.

Lilia looked appalled at this accusation. "I didn't…"

"Prove you didn't steal your magic, then," Umbridge demanded.

Lilia looked at her silently, her mind racing, trying to figure out what the hell to do to get herself out of this horrible mess. And then it came to her. She nearly gagged on her lie, but knew it was the only shred of hope she had of getting out of being thrown out on the streets or into Azkaban prison .

"My mother was a Muggle, yes… Annabelle Sutcliff, who then married Alex Gunner. However… my father is a wizard," she said firmly. "I inherited my powers through him, no one else," she said through clenched teeth.

Umbridge raised a brow. "Name?"

Lilia glared at her furiously. "My father's name… is Severus Snape."

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(( Alright. I KNOW this is like the shortest chapter I've written so far xD BUT I wanted to leave it at that cliff hanger so you're all like WHAAATTTT and wondering what's gonna come out of that :P lol I HOPE that it's as awesome to you as it is to me when the whole thing ties in with the entire plot when it's all completely finished. Haha. Anyways. I hope you all are okay with the short chapter xD I HOPE chapter 50 will be longer :P I will defs try to stretch that one out some more to make up for the shortness of this one xD Anyways. Again, I wanted the focus to be the whole dun dun dunnnn Severus is her dad, thing just to add a whole "oh snap" moment to it, as well as complications ot their relationship in the public view :P haha Anyways! Lemme know what you think so far :D I love hearing from you obviously haha :D Anyways, off I go to get some bank related things done for today xD AND I shall begin Chapter 50 today so I can extend it to make up for this shorty and make it extra good since IT IS THE FIFTIETH CHAPTER! HOLY CRAP! Are you guys as excited as I am to reach so far? XDDD Anyways! See ya :D ))


	50. A Sudden Realization

(( Alrighty then. So clearly people are now saying I'm immature and need to grow up for not taking their bashing of my story and me as a writer? Mature guys. Real mature whoever you are. Just so you know, nobody likes asses reviewing their story and being called gross and disgusting for writing a story with a large age gap. If you don't like the age gap, whatever *shrugs* that's your choice, but the fact that people are saying I should be ashamed of myself for writing my own fan fic? That is what pisses me off. Like I said, Jane Austen can do it and no one will say a word against her, someone else does it, and suddenly it's like all sin on earth is radiating from my pores xD Like seriously, why don't you grow up and realize if you started the story and knew Lilia was only 13 and Snape was already a professor, so over 30, its gonna be a huge age gap. If you don't like that, then you should have just been mindful of those who DO like it and dropped the story right there.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the affiliated works. If I did, I would be very very poor… because I would have bought all the books I want, all the clothes I adore, all the shoes I'm in love with, and all the anime and manga I could possibly stuff into my bedroom xD … I would also undergo one hell of a shopping spree at Sephora xDD fml ))

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He read the contents of the letter, fury raging a war inside him, growing more and more blood thirsty the further he read. The Ministry was holding Lilia. His Lilia.

She had been caught by Snatchers right outside Hogsmeade at the train arrival station, brought there and undergone, no doubt, intense interrogation. Worse yet, she had claimed he was her father. He had to hand it to her. The family tree she had allegedly given herself was very convincing. And better yet, he knew that she knew he would indeed vouch for her.

And he knew how to do it.

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"She claims to be your daughter," Umbridge said with obvious irritation. "Is this the truth?"

Severus looked at Lilia who sat in the chair before Umbridge, her green eyes darkened with the loss of him, as well as hatred for the situation she had been put in. He slowly turned to look back at Umbridge and raised his brows ever so slightly. "Yes," he responded in a chillingly cold and calm voice.

Umbridge stiffened at this unexpected fact, looking at Lilia, then at him. "But… then why is her name Gunner? Not Snape?" she demanded to know.

He remained quiet, mulling the thought over for only a second before it came to him. "Clearly… Lilia took her stepfathers name after her mother married him," he said simply.

Lilia glowered.

He smirked. "Obviously… not very willingly," he said.

Lilia rolled her eyes a little and then looked away.

Umbridge huffed. "Then how do you know she is your daughter? What proof do you have she is your child?" she asked sternly.

Severus looked at Lilia. "I knew it when I saw her. It was only confirmed when I learned her mother's maiden name was Sutcliff," he smirked. "You see... back when I was first a Death Eater... I involved myself with the woman. I left when I learned she was pregnant," he stated calmly. "A child simply wasn't in my plans."

Umbridge looked like she wanted to scream in outrage at this turn of events. "And what exactly is your plan from now on then?" she snapped.

He looked at Umbridge cooly. "I'm taking her back to the school with me, of course…" he replied. "Her accusation was wrongly instated. She is a free witch, is she not?"

Umbridge glared hatefully at him. "You still haven't proven it," she said.

Severus narrowed his eyes. "Do you really wish to defy my word, Umbridge?" he asked, folding his arms, looking menacing as he eyed the pink clad pig down. "Are you insinuating you do not believe me, a Death Eater, newly appointed Headmaster of Hogwarts?" he asked menacingly, his tone just daring Umbridge to say she didn't believe him.

Umbrdige looked at him with hatred in her eyes, but a fake plastered smile upon her face. "No. Of course I believe you, Severus…" she said, her tone clearly stating she was done with Lilia and him, reluctantly of course.

Severus nodded. "I believe you owe her a wand…" he said.

Umbridge smiled. "Of course," she said, holding it out to him so he could give it back to her.

He took it and then headed towards the exit, motioning for Lilia to follow him.

Lilia glanced back at Umbridge who looked ready to burst in anger that a potential prisoner had slipped through her grasp. She felt a smirk tugging on her lips as she followed Severus down the corridors of the Ministry. When they were alone, he held his hand out and she took it, her hand taking her wand at the same time, both of them together apparating form that horrible place and into the headmaster's office, which was now Severus'.

Lilia let go of his hand and looked around quietly, her gaze falling on everything in the room, and then onto him. She felt elated to see him standing by her side again. She swallowed slightly and then stepped forward and hugged him tightly, afraid he might not return the gesture when she felt him tense, but felt relief flooded her heart when he placed a hand gently upon the small of her back. "You know my mothers name…" she said softly lifting her head to look up at him after a moment.

He frowned, this clearly not being what he'd expected her to say. "Clearly," he muttered, turning away and heading to his desk. "I know the names of several students' parents. Mostly Slytherin," he explained. "Yours in particular," he said, glancing over at her. "Alex and Anabelle Gunner," he murmured.

She felt a shiver travel up her spine at the mention of her mothers name. "Sutcliff," she said.

He glanced at her.

She looked away. "I don't like her having his name attached," she said simply.

He nodded. "Anabelle Sutcliff…"

She looked up at him then. "Thank you…" she said.

He turned away, unaccustomed to being thanked for doing something for someone else. Even coming from her it felt strange and he felt uncomfortable saying she was welcome.

She understood, turning away and then hesitated. She then looked at him again. "Why did you never write?" she asked him.

He turned to face her, raising a brow.

She looked at him in frustration. "I wrote every week hoping you would reply but you never did. Not once."

He bristled at her words. "It would have made you a liability. You should know this, Miss. Gunner," he said.

She glowered at him.

"Oho, looks like Severus has upset the lady," said a voice.

Lilia looked up and suddenly felt like a prize idiot, seeing all the previous headmasters looking down at her from their paintings. She swore in her head, mentally punching herself out. She then looked at Severus with a deep frown. "Sorry…" she murmured.

He nodded, watching her intently.

She swallowed, and then glanced at the door. "I should go," she said, heading towards the door.

He nodded again. "I'll notify your teachers of your arrival and I'll have one of the prefects deliver your schedule to you," he said.

She glanced back at him and nodded, opening the door and slipping out, sighing with relief to be back at school. She proceeded down the steps and then out into the hall. She fixed her hair up a little, then headed to the Slytherin common room, hoping she would find Dawn there.

She did.

Dawn looked up from the parchment she was working on, looking utterly exhausted from all the work that Professor Carrow was giving the Defence Against the Dark Arts students, as well as depressed, there being slight dark circles under her eyes. Her eyes widened though, when she saw Lilia step through and she immediately threw down her parchment, scrambling up and ran right to her, throwing her arms around her in shock. "You're alright!" she exclaimed.

Lilia was caught off guard by the amount of emotion radiating off Dawn.

The red head backed up a bit and touched Lilia upon her cheeks, her hair, her arms, making sure she really was really there. "Oh god… I was so frightened when they made me and dad leave," she said, her eyes welling up as she looked at Lilia. "I thought for certain you would be sentenced to Azkaban," she whimpered.

Lilia was extremely uncomfortable with this emotional display so she pulled Daw in and hugged her again, awkwardly patting her head while Dawn sniffled, furiously wiping her eyes, forcing herself to stop the sob fest.

When she was done, she pulled back again, sighing shakily and looked at Lilia again. "How did you do it though?"

Lilia blinked. "Do what?"

"Get out, of course," Dawn gasped. "The Ministry has been arresting Muggle born witches and wizards since the beginning of August. The school is half empty because of them right now," she said, bringing Lilia over to the couch. "If you can't prove that you inherited your magic rightfully, they send you to Azkaban," she said. "For stealing it," she said, swallowing.

Lilia glowered. "That's a load of poppycock," she blurted.

Dawn was throw by this statement and sniggered. "Poppycock?"

Lilia smirked faintly. "Yes, yes it is," she said.

Dawn chuckled. She then sighed and her smile vanished. "I was terrified I wouldn't see you again…" she said, looking down. She then reached for Lilia's hand and squeezed it tightly, looking up at her firmly. "You're my best friend. If you got dragged away by a pair of Dementors I think I would lose my mind," she said.

Lilia looked at Dawn in surprise. She didn't think she meant so much to her. "Do you know who's been sent to Azkaban already?" she asked.

Dawn shrugged. "I know that boy in Gryffindor, Dean Thomas was sent there already. He couldn't prove he was a half blood since his father left before he could know," she shrugged. "I know Angelina Jones was sent there, from Ravenclaw. I don't know anyone else. I imagine it's quite an alarming number, but off the top of my head I don't know who else," she said and looked at Lilia. "But that isn't important… I want to know, how did you manage to not get sent there?" she asked.

Lilia looked at her quietly. "I lied," she said simply.

Dawn raised a brow. "Lied?"

Lilia nodded.

"But how? It's the Ministry for goodness sakes," she said and looked at Lilia questioningly. "They aren't easy to fool," she pointed out.

Lilia shrugged. "They're easy to intimidate if you do it right, though," she said.

Dawn frowned. "What do you mean? I highly doubt you said boo and that monstrosity, Umbridge, just let you go," she said sceptically.

Lilia shrugged. "I had help."

Dawn looked at Lilia with a raised brow. "No."

Lilia looked at her curiously. "No what?"

Dawn grinned mischievously. "Did you bribe one of the guards to let you go?" she asked.

Lilia rolled her eyes. "No, Dawn. It wasn't nearly so… promiscuous," she said.

Dawn giggled. "So?" she prodded, looking at her.

Lilia sighed. "I lied about who my father was."

Dawn frowned. "Wouldn't it have been easier to lie about your mother? She's dead after all," she explained.

Lilia glowered at Dawn.

She winced. "Sorry… that didn't come out right…" she said.

Lilia shook her head. "Forget it. If I said my mother was a witch but she was dead, they would have said I was lying on the spot and thrown me into Azkaban… so I went with the other option; saying my father is a wizard," she said.

Dawn raised a brow. "But they would know Alex is a Muggle," she pointed out.

Lilia looked at Dawn calmly. "I didn't say Alex was my biological father," she said.

Dawn looked confused by this, her silence indicating for Lilia to elaborate.

Lilia stifled a yawn softly, the lack of sleep she'd gotten at the Ministry inside their cells finally creeping up on her. She sighed, looking at Dawn. "I told Umbridge, when she was putting me on trial, my father is Severus Snape," she said and shrugged.

Dawn looked at her wide eyed. "You said what?"

Lilia winced. "I told Umbridge my father is Professor Snape."

Dawn looked completely floored by that statement. "And what did he do?"

She looked at Dawn. "He said it was true," she shrugged. "He chose to help me for his own reasons I guess."

Dawn looked at Lilia in shock. "So… what did Umbridge do?"

She grinned. "She refused to believe it but then he asked her if she was seriously going to tell him he was a liar. After all he's the Headmaster now and is a Death Eater," she smirked. It was quite refreshing… the expression on her face," she chuckled and shook her head.

Dawn laughed. "I would imagine," she smirked. "But… why would he go out of his way to help? I mean don't get me wrong, I'm glad he did and everything, but I never would have expected him to be… the helpful type," she pointed out.

Lilia shrugged and stood up. "Maybe he isn't as awful as you think… Anyways, I need to sleep. The Ministry cells aren't exactly comfortable," she said with a yawn.

Dawn nodded, watching Lilia pass by to go up to the dormitory's. She turned to her parchment again, sliding off the couch and onto the floor, picking up her quill. She was about to begin writing again, just relieved that Lilia was back, when a thought and very serious realization hit her. Her eyes widened and she spun around, looking at Lilia wide eyed. "Lilia!" she exclaimed in alarm.

Lilia paused and turned to look at Dawn drowsily. "Mmm?"

She hesitated, her eyes watching Lilia almost desperate, not wanting to ask. So she didn't… She swallowed, and smiled very weakly. "Goodnight…" she said.

Lilia raised a brow and looked at Dawn curiously. "Er… goodnight," she responded, turning away slowly and heading up the stairs to go to bed for an hour or two.

Dawn turned slowly back to her homework, her heart racing wildly in her chest. "Oh god…" she whispered, laying her forehead down on the tabletop, closing her eyes. She hoped she wasn't right about what she was thinking… she really hoped she was wrong…

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(( DUN DUN DUNNNN xD So I hope you're all sitting there going OMIGODD! Right now xD I would laugh, haha. So I hope you all enjoyed this chapter :D I know I had fun planning it out haha :D Anyways, off I go to yet another day of closing shifts at work xD Ugh, my feet are already so messed up from standing for eight hours straight haha :P ANYWHOOOO Please review and lemme know what you all thought :) I hope the end was like OMIGOODDDD for you all haha :D Peace my lovely amazing readers and reviewers! :3 (minus the lame trolls) -w- ))


	51. Crucio

(( SOOOOO happy you all enjoyed the previous chapter :D Haha, and yes, Dawn has suspicions now but isn't COMPLETELY sure :P At least not yet, haha. Anyways :D Thanks for all the support and awesome reviews ^w^ They make me chuckle sometimes haha Here you are with chapter 51. Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter or any affiliated works. If I did, the story would not have been as awesome as it is today, I guarantee it xDD ))

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It had been a month and a half already since school had begun, and it had been the most brutal month and a half of academics Lilia had gone through in her entire life. In particular, Defence Against the Dark Arts… a class which had been converted to simply The Dark Arts.

It seemed professor Carrow took particular pleasure in teaching the Unforgivable Curses. In particular… ON students, in the case of the Cruciatus Curse.

The memories of the howls of pain from the other students sometimes haunted Lilia, making her shudder even under the hot water in the shower.

She could tell it disturbed many other students as well. Even the Slytherins. She somehow felt they hadn't expected the ideals of Lord Voldemort and Salazar Slytherin to be so… vile and deranged when it came to certain things.

On the other hand, she knew there were several Slytherins who were riding joyfully through the semester as Amycus Carrow's teacher's pets, willingly involving themselves in administered detentions and punishing other students.

School life had become difficult. There was no denying it. Lilia could see that even Dawn, someone who was rarely affected by calamity or depressing moments had become… tired. She didn't joke so easily anymore, or use her sarcasm as much, and she didn't talk so freely about random subjects anymore either, boys in particular. The usual devilish smirk upon her face rarely showed up anymore.

It made Lilia a bit saddened to see the take over of Hogwarts affecting her friend so much.

Sighing one evening after their classes had been finished, Lilia sat with Dawn in front of the fireplace, the oncoming winter chill beginning to seep into the school, drawing the students to more warmth. The oncoming winter weather was in perfect relation to the moods of the Hogwarts students. Depressing, cold, tired, dreary…

In fact, the attitude of the students around her had slowly crept it's way onto Lilia as well. She felt tired, bored, alone… Not to mention somewhat depressed since it had been over a month and still no indication from Severus that they were still… together.

He hadn't summoned her for anything, hadn't invited her to spend the night with him, made any effort to talk to her… She certainly hoped it was just because he was so much more busy with being a Headmaster.

She glanced at Dawn that evening though, nudging her softly. "Want to go to sleep early?" she asked.

Dawn looked up at her and nodded. "Yes. Sleep sounds absolutely perfect right now," she admitted, packing up her books and walking up to their dormitory with Lilia.

When they got there, they noticed several other girls who had gotten to same idea, having already tucked themselves in and headed off to a world of dreams and 40 winks.

Dawn yawned softly, walking over to her bed and put her books away, not even bothering to change out of her casual clothes. "I'm so exhausted from classes…" she murmured, laying her head down and closed her heavy lidded eyes.

Lilia nodded in agreement, moving to lay in her own bed and yawned again. "Mhmm… especially from Dark Arts classes…" she said softly.

Dawn nodded in agreement. "Especially…"

Lilia smiled faintly and sighed, rolling over onto her back and pulled the covers over herself, shivering slightly at the sudden chill of the dormitory room.

Dawn opened her eyes and looked over at Lilia who had gone very quiet and still, looking just about asleep. "Lilia?"

"Hmm?" the black haired youth asked softly, draping an arm over her already closed eyes lazily.

Dawn sighed. "How come you always sleep here now?"

Lilia frowned, puzzled by the question and moved her arm away, hiding it under the warming blanket, her head turning to look at Dawn. "Sorry?"

Dawn shrugged. "I mean, last year… Christmas in particular, you slept elsewhere a lot. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind or anything, I was just wondering how come you haven't slept wherever you used to for the last month and a half?" she asked.

Lilia shrugged.

"You haven't been going to see this… boy…" she murmured.

Lilia shrugged again and closed her eyes, snuggling under her blanket. "He's been… busy I suppose…" she said finally.

Dawn nodded silently. "Busy…" she whispered.

Lilia nodded faintly, quickly drifting off to sleep for the night while Dawn lay contemplating whether or not this could possibly be healthy.

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"Miss. Gunner… Miss. Gunner…" An exasperated sigh.

Lilia gasped when a jolt of pain shot up her spine and she looked in alarm at none other than Amycus Carrow. The Dark Arts professor as Hogwarts.

"Would you mind telling me, and the rest of your class, what it is that has had you so preoccupied for all of the class today, Miss. Gunner?" he sneered.

She tensed, not liking the tone he was using with her today. She hesitated and glanced at Dawn nervously who sat biting her lower lip apprehensively.

"I don't believe Miss. Pyrites has the answer to my question," he said and glared. "Only you do," he said.

Lilia swallowed and then looked down. "I didn't get enough sleep last night… that's all… I'm sorry sir," she said.

He rolled his eyes. "How many times have I heard that pitiful excuse from you?"

She glanced up at him. "It won't happen again, sir," she said, irritation slipping into her voice.

He frowned. "I don't think like that tone, Miss. Gunner."

She was sorely tempted to tell him she didn't like his tone either, and he knew she wanted to. However, she merely clenched her teeth and said it again. "It won't happen again sir…"

"Of course it won't," he sneered wickedly. "I think after tonight's detention you'll remember to appropriately go to sleep and wake when you must, as well as to respect your elders," he said mockingly.

She felt sickened by the thought of detention dealt from Carrow's hand but merely nodded, accepting her fate. She then looked at Dawn nervously who had her eyes wide but was looking at her textbook, not Lilia. Lilia turned back to her own textbook and tried to focus, not liking the wincing expressions from other students she'd glimpsed when Carrow had given her detention for the evening.

She'd obviously heard it was bad… but she hoped he would not resort to the most severe detention since she was a Slytherin like him after all…

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"So, what is it that's been bothering you so greatly, Miss. Gunner?" he smirked.

Lilia stood in the empty class room which would serve as her detention room for that evening, wondering why he was bothering to ask.

"Is it… boy trouble?" he smirked, coming up behind her. He slid his hand down her arm and held her hand, lifting it, palm facing up and kissed just where her wrist began. "Perhaps I can help you there…" he smirked. "Such a pretty girl…"

She felt sickened by that thought and wrenched her hand away, tugging her sleeve down as far as possible over that exposed area.

He sniggered, obviously getting the reaction he'd wanted from her. "Oh… you'll hurt my feelings," he said, stepping away from her. "I should punish you," he said, looking at the back of her head.

She tensed, not liking the dangerous tone his voice had suddenly taken on.

He smirked wickedly, delighting in the thought of what he would see tonight. Lifting his wand, he strongly enunciated only one word he wanted to be heard. "Crucio."

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Dawn had been waiting outside Professor Carrow's classroom for Lilia when she had heard the first scream. She reached up and covered her ears, shutting her eyes tightly, but it seemed like the screams could still get inside.

Without much time, she bolted from where she sat and headed to the one place she hoped would provide some help.

When she got there, she burst through the doorway and went straight to Professor Snape's desk, looking at him. "You have to help!" she exclaimed.

He calmly watched her, putting down he quill he had been writing with. "Help with what exactly..? If this is another plea for me to help you insufferable children out of detention, it won't work…" he muttered.

She glared. "Not us children," she said firmly. She took a breath and then swallowed. "Lilia."

There was utterly no reaction from him. He raised a brow almost mockingly and looked at her. "And what about Miss. Gunner?"

She looked at him with a pleading stare. "She's gotten detention with Professor Carrow," she blurted. "He's using the Cruciatus Curse against her," she said.

He remained silent for some time. "And how would you know?" he asked.

She wanted to scream in frustration, wanting to tell him to go help her because she knew and didn't care, but she remembered there were all those portraits hanging and they would no doubt spread gossip among other portraits which students would eventually catch wind of. She shut her eyes and finally looked at him after a moment. "I know because I've gotten detention by that man three times already," she said. "The screams I hear from Lilia are not normal ones," she said.

He looked at her for some time and then finally opened his mouth again. "Unfortunately, I cannot help you… Miss. Gunner probably deserved her detention," he stated with unnerving calm, going back to writing. "You're dismissed…" he said seriously.

She looked at him with an appalled expression and slowly backed away, leaving the room, feeling numbed inside and out by what she'd just experienced. How could he just say no? Not make a single move to help her? Unless her thoughts were wrong… he was even more of a monster than he seemed…

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"This one, is off limits," Severus said, a slight snarl seeping into his voice as he pointed at Lilia who sat on the ground, hugging her trembling body as tightly as she could. She felt so alarmingly weak, like she might fall over if she stood for too long… and her whole body ached with the memory of the Cruciatus Curse.

Carrow flinched, looking up at Snape. "And why's that?"

Severus narrowed his eyes. "Because I… am her father…" he growled, having nearly said something else entirely. "I will not have you torturing one of my own just to amuse yourself, Amycus," he said seriously. "Any other student will do, but not this one," he said in a low and dangerous tone.

Amycus looked at him and finally relented and nodded, glancing at Lilia. "Fine… my apologies Headmaster… I wasn't aware of her status," he muttered.

Severus nodded and turned away, motioning for Lilia to follow.

She got up carefully and followed Severus out into the hall, watching him stride ahead of her. She was unsure of he wanted her to do her own thing now or follow him… so she followed, hoping it was the right choice.

She was surprised to find they were in his bedchambers of all places. She looked up at him as she stepped into his bedroom. "Why here?" she asked.

He frowned. "Because here is the only place where irritating portraits won't spread gossip," he said and looked at her. He then winced slightly. "Why would you allow yourself to be put into such a position as you were today?"

She looked at him in confusion. "I didn't. He was looking for an opportunity to give me a detention, I swear," she said.

"Then don't give it to him," he said firmly. "You Don't understand. Amycus Carrows is a Death Eater, but he is a coward when it comes down to the reality of things… He will prey on any weakness any student shows simply because he revels being in power over you all. You were no different. It is most unfortunate that I had to step in and reprimand him for it," he said.

She looked up at him, feeling a bit guilty by dragging him into it and no doubt drawing attention to him. "Sorry…" she said.

He looked at her and his shoulders relaxed a bit as he let out a breath he hadn't quite let go. "Don't be…" he said and reached up, pinching the bridge of his nose softly and closing his eyes.

She looked down and suddenly felt so overwhelmed that even though it would draw attention to him, Severus would still come and help her if she was in danger. She eyes smarted at the thought but she rapidly blinked any threatening tears away and looked up at him. "I was scared you were mad at me… or didn't want me anymore…"

He looked at her and raised a brow. "Why?"

She shrugged. "You never spoke to me since we came back here from the Ministry… you never invited me to come spend the night, or called me to your office… nothing…" she said and looked down. "I got scared that maybe you didn't want me anymore…" she said. "Didn't care about me anymore…"

He sighed and rolled his eyes. "You're such a child, Lilia," he said in a slightly exasperated tone. "You have no idea how much I wanted to, but the fact is being Headmaster takes up a lot of my time…" he said, frowning as he looked at her. "Besides, if I brought you to the office we couldn't speak normally because of all those infernal portraits," he pointed out.

She nodded, understanding that much. She then looked at him again. "Can I stay?" she blurted.

He looked at her. "Stay where?"

She looked at him with mild frustration. "Here. With you, tonight?"

He sighed and then nodded, motioning for her to step further into the room. "Alright. But just tonight."

She nodded, moving not towards the bed but into his arms, closing her eyes and just holding onto him, almost afraid to let go, fearing he might disappear for another few months without any word to her.

He could feel that much, placing a hand upon her head and gently stroked her hair, then slid his hand down to her backside, holding her to him with one arm. The other, he placed upon her shoulder and eventually used to push her back a little and looked at her.

She tilted her head back to look at him as well. "I've missed you…" she whispered.

Certainly they'd glimpsed one another in the halls or at dinner, but finally hearing those words from her tugged on something inside him and he realized he'd missed her even more than he thought he did as well. He leaned down and kissed her gently, at last, after several months. "I missed you too…" he murmured against her lips when they pulled away a little.

She felt a slight smile tug upon her lips and she moved to where the bed was, feeling exhausted after her day, wanting nothing more than to fall asleep next to him like she had a few times. There was just nothing like it.

The two moved to lay down in his bed and within a minute, Lilia was out like a light, facing him while he watched her sleep.

Severus reached out, gently pulling the covers up higher on her, knowing how the cold got to her, especially at night. He sighed and lay his head down, closing his eyes and while holding her gently, eventually let himself slip off into sleep as well, well and truly having missed this feeling of ease he'd not had with Lilia for some time now.

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Dawn sat in the hallway, having seen Snape go into the Defence Against the Dark Arts room maybe five minutes after Dawn had left his office. She'd watched him retrieve Lilia, coming out of the room with her and go elsewhere into the castle; not in the direction of the headmaster's office at least.

After some time, Dawn had returned to the girl's dormitory, climbing into bed for the night… not in the least bit surprised that Lilia had not returned that evening.

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(( Yay! :D Some Severus and Lilia love 3 Finally ^w^ Just a tiny kiss but still something after months of nothing huh? Anywho, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter J And now off I go to get ready for yet another splendiferous long and dull day at work -_- … Retail officially sucks LOL ))


	52. From Hallowe'en to Christmas

(( SO glad you guys are all so into the last two chapters :D Haha, I was hoping for an awesome reaction and I definitely got it :P So thanks for that! Very thrilled at the reactions I received ^^ So how awesome does it feel to be past the 50 chapter mark! :D I feel so proud that my story made it this far :D haha So here you are J Chapter 52! I hope you all enjoy it greatly :D

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter… or Severus Snape… or Lucius Malfoy… What an utter disappointment that fact is to wake up to each morning, don't you agree? Dx lmao ))

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No Halowe'en feast… No decorations, no pumpkins, no candy, no streamers, no excitement. October the 31st, and there wasn't any indication that there would be any cheerfulness or delight in correspondence to the date.

"Figured as much…" Dawn muttered, clearly disappointed by the lack of chocolate and candy. "The school seems so… boring ever since Snape became headmaster…" she said and looked over at Lilia for her reaction.

Lilia merely shrugged faintly, picking at her dinner without much of an appetite.

Dawn frowned, not having expected such a reactionless reaction. She then sighed and turned back to her food, picking at it then as well. She then ate a little and glanced up, looking around the hall.

"How come you haven't asked for a while?" Lilia suddenly asked Dawn.

Dawn turned to look at Lilia with a curious expression. "Sorry?"

Lilia looked up from her still relatively full plate and met Dawn's gaze. "How come you haven't been asking me for a while about hints?" she asked.

Dawn frowned. "Hints?"

Lilia sighed. "Hints about a certain someone? I miss them…" she said.

Dawn felt slightly nervous but then smiled weakly. "I guess I forgot…" she murmured.

Lilia looked down at her plate again and nodded. "I figured… I can't blame you, in this environment I mean," she said.

Dawn smiled. "Hmm… I suppose not…" she said thoughtfully. "Alright… let's see…" she thought carefully, not sure if Lilia was ready to have Dawn know who she was seeing. She didn't want to ask something that would alarm Lilia and leave her feeling utterly panicked. "Does he smile ever?" she asked.

Lilia blinked and glanced at Dawn. "I would be severely concerned if he did, to be honest," she explained.

Dawn laughed, in her mind having to agree, the thought of Professor Snape smiling just being so disturbing to her and no doubt to Lilia as well. Well… at least in that sense he wasn't so different in private? Dawn could only assume.

After they finished their dinner, Lilia and Dawn proceeded up to the Slytherin common room, looking forward to a good night's rest which had been long overdue with their massive piles of homework and rigorous tests they'd had to undergo under Amycus Carrow's watchful eye.

The two friends made their way up to the dormitory and undressed, climbing into their beds when they had changed accordingly and lay down to sleep the night away, no Hallowe'en celebration or special surprise taking place obviously.

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It was like the months somehow dragged on, but not at an alarmingly slow rate. Time seemed to fly and within a few weeks the first snowfall had occurred.

The students had been at least granted permission to leave for the holidays so they could visit their parents and families, and those who stayed behind were allowed to have those two weeks or so off from classes to do as they pleased.

Lilia wasn't the least bit surprised to find that she and Severus would not be going home that Christmas either. As depressing as Spinner's End was, it was a home to her and she missed it sorely. Mostly, she missed the closeness she and Severus could have there without prying eyes watching them… Wormtail being sorely ignored in such situations.

That evening though, Lilia tried to find him in the large old school, failing to do so. She frowned, having gone and knocked on his bed chamber doors, gone to his office and even went into his study, all the while failing to see him anywhere. Even in the halls, she hadn't glimpsed that usual black clad individual anywhere.

Figuring there would be no luck anyways, she headed back to the Slytherin common room, finding Dawn there, working on something. She curiously walked over and raised a brow. "What's that?"

Dawn shrieked and covered up what she was doing, glowering over her shoulder at Lilia. "Don't look! This is a secret!" she exclaimed.

Lilia blinked, looking at her in surprise. "What?"

She sighed. "It's your Christmas present," she whined, covering it with a few textbooks. "I don't want it ruined," she said.

Lilia looked at her in surprise. She was suddenly very touched that Dawn was… MAKING something for her. It wasn't a dress from what she could tell, but just the fact that Dawn was taking the time to genuinely make her something warmed Lilia's heart for the first time since school had started. She smiled and moved back. "Alright. I won't look," she assured her friend with a grin. "Can I have a hint though?"

Dawn laughed. "No, you may not," she said and smirked up at her.

Lilia pretend pouted. "Oh what a shame," she said and sighed, crossing her arms.

Dawn sniggered. "Go find your boyfriend for a while," she said and waved her away. "I want to finish this tonight," she laughed.

Lilia shook her head, deciding it was best not to mention she couldn't actually FIND Severus right now. With that, she slipped out of the common room again to merely go for a walk.

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She sat in Severus's chair in the headmaster's office, looking up at Dumbledore's painting. "You genuinely hold trust in what he is doing?" she asked him.

He nodded, his light blue eyes inspecting her curiously. "Do you not?"

She sighed, looking down. "I trust him. It's just… he's a very good pretender… when it comes to being on certain sides of the fight, I mean," she said, resting her head back and closed her eyes. "Sometimes I wonder, if presented with the opportunity to gain something out of it, would he truly join up on Voldemort's side and leave all of us here behind?"

Dumbledore sighed audibly. "Miss. Gunner. Do you think that what the Death Eaters are doing here now is the worst of their abilities?"

She looked up at him. "It's pretty bad already," she stated calmly.

He chuckled softly. "Dear girl, the things they do now are a mere fraction of their abilities. The reason they don't do as they please entirely is because Severus makes sure they do not… he may not seem like it but he is looking out for the students here," he said.

She looked up at him uncertainly.

He smiled at her. "Especially you," he assured her.

She blushed, looking down stubbornly when she heard a snigger from one of the previous headmasters.

Sighing, she got out of the chair. "I think I should go before someone catches me in here," she said, moving out from behind the desk.

She jumped and gasped, flopping back into the chair when Severus apparated into the Headmaster's office without any warning.

Severus frowned, looking at her. "What are you doing in here?" he demanded to know.

She looked at him in surprise. "I was looking for you. I couldn't find you, and Dawn wasn't letting me sit with her because she's making my Christmas present, so I came back here and decided to wait a while," she shrugged.

"It's true," Dumbledore nodded. "You've been neglecting her it seems," he said.

Severus frowned.

Lilia glowered up at Dumbledore's portrait, then looked at Severus. "If you don't want me here, then I can go," she shrugged.

He shook his head. "It's late, come," he said and motioned for her to follow as he headed towards the doorway.

She followed, glancing back at Dumbledore who offered a wink and a slight smile. She felt her cheeks flush and she quickly turned away, following Severus out into the nearly empty hallways. "So where did you go?" she asked.

He glanced at her while they walked. "A meeting," he said shortly.

She looked at him with a raised brow. "A meeting that require… oh…" she said and her eyes widened slightly, turning back to watch the hall in front of her.

He nodded.

"Are you being careful when you attend these meetings?"

He frowned. "I already told you I would try to be," he said.

She sighed, nodding, figuring this was about the most of a promise she would get from him.

They reached the Slytherin common room and she looked up at him in surprise. "I'm not coming with you?" she asked.

He shook his head. "I have things I still need to discus with others," he said calmly. "Perhaps another night."

She looked at him slightly disappointed and nodded, moving to open the Slytherin common room door with the password and stepped inside, glancing back at him. "Goodnight."

He nodded, turning away and headed back towards the Headmaster's office.

Sighing, Lilia proceeded up to the dormitory, smiling when she saw Dawn just changing. "Night," she said.

Dawn smiled at her. "Night," she responded, climbing into her bed and turning out the light.

Lilia sat in the dark bed chamber for a some time, deciding to skip changing and went to sleep for the night, only hoping Severus really would be as careful as he said he was trying to be.

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(( Okay so it's a short chapter! BUT I have a very good reason for rushing it and cutting it short this time _ … I'm gonna see HP 7 Part 2 in a few hours ;) Mhmm, so I defs gotta get ready for that lol, Gotta pack my Puffs tissues for sure xDDDD Anywho! I can't wait to enjoy it all in 3D and sob my eyeballs right out of their sockets today over Severus Snape's death TT_TT I cried when I read the book… so I can only imagine how much I'm gonna be wailing after the movie xDDD Anyways! I shall work harder tomorrow for the chapter :D Hope that's alright with you all xD ))


	53. Something Wicked This Way Comes

(( Alrighty. HERE YOU ARE WITH AN EARLY UPLOAD! Hooray for early uploads -w- So I am very aware that the last chapter was… mundane -w- LOL Shush! XD I had a good reason HARRY POTTER SEVEN PART TWO PEOPLE! I cried… at so many moments _ I think a part of me died when Severus was holding Lily and crying in the memory… like holy shit. No joke, piece of my soul… *crumbles to dust* xDDD Anyways! As awesome as the movie was, I still think Molly Weasley's sudden swearing habit was a bit awkward for me AND McGonagall having her cute old lady moment ( as much as I loved it ) so unlike her xD LOL All in all a fantastic movie though! I cried… a lot though O_O I'm gonna have a sob fest when I watch it again TT_TT

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the affiliated works. If I did, it would never have been finished cause the whole thing would have been a runny mess from me sobbing over the ending so much xDD ))

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"Dawn!" Lilia exclaimed in alarm when her friend stepped through the doorway to the Slytherin common room. Scrambling from where she sat, Lilia bolted over to Dawn and cupped her face, looking at her with an appalled expression.

Dawn smiled weakly, trying to turn her face away from her friend. "It's nothing," she assured her.

Lilia frowned. "It isn't nothing. That's a black eye. Who the bloody hell did this to you?" she asked, a furious edge to her voice.

Dawn sighed, glancing to the side. "Professor Carrow," she muttered.

Lilia felt rage inside her. "Amycus did this to you?"

Dawn shook her head, pushing Lilia's hands away delicately. "Alecto… She's certainly a charming piece of work," she said, moving to sit by the fireplace and sighed.

Lilia came and sat down next to Dawn, looking at her in concern.

Dawn glanced at Lilia and offered a vague smile. "Are you really surprised? With my mouth it was only a matter of time Alecto finally got her filthy hands on me," she murmured, turning back to look at the fire.

Lilia frowned. "What did you do to offend her so much?" she asked.

Dawn grinned at the memory. "I just finally had enough of her Muggle Studies class and told her Muggles are no different than us. They might not have magic, but they're no different otherwise…" she said.

Lilia raised a brow. "I doubt that's all you said to her," she muttered.

Dawn grinned cheekily. "Alright, so maybe I used so more colourful language," she shrugged. "Either way, she didn't like it and got a detention. Hence, this," she said, pointing at her black eye.

Lilia winced faintly. "It'll be worse in the morning…" she murmured.

Dawn sighed. "I know. It'll be so irritating to put on makeup," she said.

Lilia almost had to laugh at her friend's… normal concern when it came down to it.

"Why do you concern yourself over my injury so much, though?" Dawn asked her then, looking at Lilia.

The green eyes looked back at Dawn and frowned slightly. "What do you mean?"

Dawn shrugged. "You used to not care at all… I could tell from the way you carried yourself all the time, but now… you care so much more than anyone else here," she said and looked at Lilia. "Why?"

Lilia looked at her quietly for some time, then sat back and sighed, running a hand over her face in exhaustion. "Because… you're important to me," she said.

Dawn looked at Lilia silently. "I am?"

Lilia looked at her and nodded. "Of course," she said with a frown. "Why wouldn't you be?"

Dawn sighed and moved to lay her head down on the arm rest of the leather upholstered couch and closed her eyes. "I dunno. I've just never felt so important to anyone before," she said. She opened her eyes, staring up at the ceiling quietly. "I don't have any real friends other than you…" she said finally. "It just… surprises me when you genuinely care about my safety sometimes," she said and closed her eyes.

Lilia frowned. "But… Cimbeline and Ariel are your friends too, are they not?"

Dawn snorted softly, closing her eyes again and sighed. "When was the last time you saw me write a letter to Cimbeline?"

Lilia frowned, thinking about it.

"Stop frownin. You'll get a wrinkle on your brow," Dawn grinned, looking over at the black haired girl.

Lilia smirked faintly. "I dunno… when did you last write to Cimbeline?"

Dawn sighed. "Over a year ago…" she admitted. "We just… lost contact, and I have to admite it's largely my fault for making no effort to write back," she shrugged and closed her eyes.

Lilia looked at Dawn quietly. "And Ariel?"

Dawn shrugged. "Ariel and I haven't spoken for probably two years," she chuckled. "She was preoccupied with her boyfriend and eventually we just drifted further and further apart…" she said.

Lilia looked at Dawn and her expression softened. "Dawn…"

She shook her head and sat up, looking at Lilia. "Just promise me one thing," she said, looking at her.

Lilia looked back at the gorgeous girl whom had become almost like a sibling to her as far as friendship bonds went. "Anything," she assured her.

Dawn stared into her green eyes intensely. "Promise that no matter what, you'll always be my friend…" she said. "I know you have a boyfriend and everything now, but… promise you won't just drop me like a sack of potatoes without notice," she said.

Lilia smirked faintly. "Don't be foolish. I would never do such a thing," she said.

Dawn raised a brow. "Promise," she insisted.

Lilia smiled at the genuinely human concern Dawn was displaying. "I promise," she assured her.

Dawn seemed visibly relieved by this and then put her arms around Lilia, hugging her tightly.

Lilia was taken aback by this and awkwardly hugged her back, looking at the crimson haired girl with slight concern.

Dawn smirked. "You're the best friend anyone could ask for… even if you're a bit of damaged goods and you're very darn secretive," she teased.

Lilia smirked, glad to have the usual Dawn back after those few awkward and uncomfortable minutes.

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"So… what exactly is Potter looking for?" she asked Severus while seated in his office one morning, having had a spare period and wanted nothing more than to come spend time with him, even if it was to merely watch him write things out or read through parchments.

He glanced up at her from the parchment he was looking at and frowned. "Excuse me?"

She glanced up from the pen she had been playing with for some time absent mindedly and met his gaze, her lips parting slightly. "You mentioned how Potter got something that he had been looking for… what was it?" she asked.

He frowned. "I don't think you need to know the details," he said. "They don't concern you," he said calmly, going back to his parchment.

She frowned. "I want to know… I feel stupid and useless not knowing what's going on really… I just… I want to know something. Anything," she said and looked at him. 'I know that me knowing them is useless, but I hate feeling so… in the dark about what's really going on in relation to you…" she said and looked at him. "I feel like I'm not important enough to you to be let known," she explained.

He sighed, putting down the parchment paper and looked at her from across his desk calmly.

"She already knows more than most students here, Severus," Dumbledore said calmly from up inside his portrait.

Severus frowned, glancing down at his parchment.

"I doubt telling her this, if it will make her feel better, will do much harm," he said.

He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Lilia glanced up at Dumbledore and raised a brow, then looked at Severus curiously, wondering if he would let her in on what he knew or not.

"Mr. Potter is on the hunt for several things…" he finally said. "Called Horcruxes," he explained, looking at her.

She looked unphased by this term, having no idea what a Horcrux was, obviously.

He frowned, noting this. "Reason being, simply, because The Dark Lord's soul has been split several times… each time it did, a part of his soul was placed inside these objects for… safekeeping," he said. "In which case if his body died, he could still return," he explained.

She looked stunned by this. "So he's immortal thanks to these objects?" she asked.

He nodded. "In a way, I suppose…" he muttered. "In order to defeat him and vanquish him for good, Potter has to find four of the seven of these Horcruxes and destroy them," he said.

She looked aghast. "Seven?" she whispered, her expression clearly one of shock. "He's split his soul seven times? Is that even… possible?"

He rolled his eyes. "Apparently it would seem so, seeing as he has done it," he said.

She frowned. "But, how would Harry know what to look for?"

He smirked weakly. "Simple. He doesn't."

She looked at him and then looked down silently. "So there's no hope that he would help us?" she asked.

Severus frowned, looking at her. "Are you afraid of what might happen, Miss. Gunner?"

She lifted her head and looked at him with a slight coldness in her eyes. "It would be completely stupid to not be a little afraid," she said defensively.

He watched her for a moment and then sat back calmly. "True… you would be indeed a complete fool to not fear what might come," he said. "You're strong to admit to that fear…"

She looked at him quietly. "Do you think such danger will come to pass?" she asked him quietly.

Sighing, Severus looked at his fingers, lacing them together while his arms rested upon the arms of his chair. "I think… if Mr. Potter does not get a move on…"

He was interrupted by a knock at the door to his office.

Frowning, Severus rose from his seat, looking over Lilia's head. "Who is it?" he demanded to know.

Amycus Carrow opened the door and stepped in. "If I might have a word, Headmaster," he said, glancing at Lilia, then up at Severus again.

Severus frowned even more than usual, walking past the desk and Lilia, heading to stand just outside the office door with Amycus, closing the door so they could converse privately.

Lilia glanced over her shoulder at the closed doorway, then turned and sighed, her eyes flitting up to where Dumbledore sat, looking at her most curiously. "What about you, headmaster? Do you believe great danger will come to pass?" she asked him quietly.

He sighed, looking away thoughtfully. "I believe, Miss. Gunner, that great danger… is swiftly upon it's way," he said most ominously.

She felt a very bad sense of dread… like a very heavy premonition cause a slight lurch in her stomach. "Headmaster… Severus mentioned Harry must find and destroy four of the seven Horcruxes…"

Dumbledore nodded, watching her calmly over his half moon spectacles.

She frowned, looking up at him. "What of the other three?"

He smiled weakly. "One was destroyed in Harry Potter's second year here. At which time, both he and I were unaware of what it was. As for the other object, I myself destroyed it already, you see… though I payed heavily for it," he sighed. "However… it would seem… You-Know-Who is unaware that there are in fact seven, not six…" he said. "A fact that states simply… Harry Potter himself is a seventh and unintentional Horcrux…"

She looked at him with a frown. "But… if You-Know-Who tries to kill him, then he'll just destroy himself won't he?"

Dumbledore's eyes crinkled slightly at the edges when he smiled slightly. "You see… I'm convinced that when the time comes and he decides to kill Harry… he will be unable to do so… I think that, if presented with the chance, it will merely destroy the Horcrux inside the boy, but leave him alive," he said.

She was surprised at this fact.

Dumbledore chuckled. "It seems even Severus is unaware of this… I do not wish for you to divulge this information to him either… things are going quite smoothly and as planned without his knowledge of this fact," he said.

She was unsure if keeping that from him was such a good idea, but simply nodded and fell quiet for a while, faintly hearing Severus's deep velvety voice and Amycus's serious and treacherous tone on the other side of the door. She then had a thought come to mind and she looked up at Dumbledore. "How does one go about making a Horcrux?" she asked.

Dumbledore frowned slightly. "By splitting ones soul of course, haven't you been listening?"

She sighed. "I mean, how does one go about splitting their soul? Is it complicated?"

He chuckled in a saddened way. "No… unfortunately it really isn't all that difficult… To do so involves one merely killing another… To end one's life in such an unnatural way will result on the soul being split," he explained darkly.

She looked at him seriously. "And if… someone living is a Horcrux… they will be safe from harm?" she asked.

Dumbledore looked at her for a long time and then his eyes darkened with realization at what she was asking. "Severus would not want you to do such a thing for him," he said. "Even if it did provide protection which I assure you it does not, I can assure you he would refuse under every circumstance to allow you to do such a foolish and treacherous thing…" he said.

She felt embarrassed by her thoughts at that moment, especially with Dumbledore's reprimanding tone.

Dumbledore sighed wearily. "Even if it offered protection and you did it without his knowledge… which is virtually impossible I might add… your soul would never be able to move on when you died," he explained. "Creating a Horcrux is a most dangerous task, one not to be taken lightly or to be considered by anyone…" he said seriously.

She looked up at him. "If it could keep him safer, I would do it even if I could not rest in peace…" she murmured truthfully. "I'm so scared for him… every time he has to leave to do what he is forced to do, I fear he may not return…" she said.

Dumbledore's eyes softened, knowing it was merely Lilia's love and adoration for Severus which would lead her to asking such a… desperate and dangerous question. "If you did such a thing for him, you would never be able to see him again in another life," he said quietly. "He would move on while you remained in eternal limbo…" he told her. "I think it is safe to assume you both wouldn't want such an end," he said.

She looked up at him sadly and then shook her head. "Tell me… do you think Severus will get through this all alive..?" she asked in a slightly shaky whisper, the pressure and fear and uncertainty getting to be too much at times.

Before Dumbledore could answer her, the door opened and Severus stepped back inside. "I think it is time for you to go to your Muggle Studies class, Miss. Gunner," Severus said calmly, striding back up to his desk and sat down across from her, frowning when he saw her solemn expression. "What is wrong?" he asked.

She shook her head, getting up. "Just not looking forward to another class of Alecto telling us that Muggles are filthier than swine…" she mumbled, slipping her book bag over her shoulder and then looked at him. "See you later…" she said, turning to go to the door and headed out to go to class. While she walked, she felt that awful premonition-like sensation tingling at the back of her mind and soul again, just knowin something wicked and horrible was rapidly approaching the school and the individuals within it...

Severus watched her slight figure disappear through the doorway and he then clenched his jaw slightly. "What did you say to her?"

"Nothing at all, Severus… It seems she is just concerned with your role in this oncoming war, that is all," Dumbledore said from his portrait calmly. "If I were you, however… I would spend more time with her before the year is over… She seems to be more withdrawn when you're not around for some time," he pointed out. "Besides... I think you and I both know what sort of evil is fast approaching..."

Severus nodded after a while and then went back to his parchment, in no hurry or mood to discuss his relationship with Lilia, especially with Dumbledore who had no doubt been amused and surprised some time ago by his long lasting love for Lily when he'd first come to him in a desperate attempt to seek help. Although he and Dumbledore were on somewhat civilized terms, they were by no means close friends…

"What did Amycus want?" Dumbledore asked him suddenly.

Severus' eyes darkened considerably. "Potter has been sighted in Hogsmeade..."

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(( And there you have it! Chapter 53 :D I hope it was as good as I wanted it to be xD It was a bit complicated to get through with Severus and Dumbledore kinda explaining the Horcrux things, BUT I figured if Severus is with her, he would give her a bit of info on it if she displayed enough concern on the topic and Dumbledore would know Lilia was just concerned for her lover? XD I dunno lol hence why he told her a bit more detail about Horcruxes and stuff J Probs cause he knows she would never do anything about it xDDD … Plus, I can make him say what I want to! *tralalalalala dance* HAHAHAH The powah of owning a fan fiction! Haha, ANYWHO! Please review :D I love hearing from you all ^^ Luckily I have two days off coming up so I can focus more on this :D Oh oh oh ! Also, now that I FINALLY got the chance to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, I wanna hear your opinions of the movie! What were your favourite moments or scenes and stuff? What did you not like in it? DID YOU CRY LIKE I DID? XDDDD I know you did ;) LOL ))


	54. Preparing for Battle

(( For some reason I think was having issues yesterday because I updated the chapters as I do daily but the email saying I put it up never went out O_O It Didn't even come to my email inbox xD SO I HAVE NO IDEA. So if you think I didn't update yesterday please go read the previous chapter right now :D I think it was all dun dun dunnnn but I want your opinions! :D Anyways, here you are with chapter 54 J Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter or any affiliated works. If I did, Severus Snape would have been in Gilderoy Lockhart's position…. But over the course of all the novels -w- Sexy (in the students eyes. He is in mine already of course LOL) … and wanted by everyone… mmmm… BACK OFF BETCH! *bitchslap* :P ))

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The school was falling apart… not the physical structure, but the internal one; the students, the magic, the faculty… everything was crumbling as more time passed and since earlier that evening, Lilia's bad feeling deep down inside had only grown worse and it frightened her to be unable to explain why…

She looked up as she walked… or rather, marched, with the Slytherin house, as well as the other houses back towards the main part of the castle. It had been this way since school had started. All the students were made to obey like a bunch of army brats.

Even now, they had been woken their beds to come to the Great Hall in order to listen to something their Headmaster had to say.

Looking up, she saw Severus standing within a window, watching the students walk back inside in a steady and well enforced group. She only hoped this wicked way of treatment would end soon and she could go back to being a regular student, with him no longer having to pretend to be a cruel, vile, headmaster.

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"It's come to my attention, that earlier this evening… Harry Potter was sighted in Hogsmeade…" Severus said calmly as he stood before the amassed students, gathered in their groups within the Great Hall. "For myself and a select few members of staff, this news comes as little surprise. We have… for some time now, considered Mr. Potter's return to Hogwarts as not merely possible, but inevitable…" he said in that cold tone he always used.

Lilia felt hollowed out by how convincing his act really was. Even now, she almost believed that he was as dark and as sinister as everyone else believed him to be. And perhaps he was, deep down… She glanced up, seeing he was still speaking.

"Should anyone attempt to aid Mr. Potter… they will be punished…" Severus continued in that same infuriatingly calm and smooth voice.

Lilia swallowed, glancing over at the Gryffindors, wondering how they all felt about the situation right at the immediate moment. Would they have the guts to aid Harry in his quest? Would they help hide him? Was he even really here? Was he worth the pain and punishment they might go through if they helped him along the way?

She returned her gaze to him when he began to move down the steps slowly and precisely, his eyes scanning the crowd with intense scrutiny.

"If anyone in here, has any knowledge of Mr. Potters movements, I invite them to stop forward," he said seriously, his cold black eyes scanning the crowd with intense scrutiny, lingering on Lilia at the edge of the crowd for a moment longer, "Now…" he finished in a dark, commanding tone.

Lilia remained silent, staring ahead quietly along with everyone else, clearly not wishing to draw attention to herself like everyone else, even if they had nothing to do with Harry Potter and his journey outside Hogwarts.

There was a sudden commotion and Lilia looked up to see Severus staring at something out of her eye range. She turned and her eyes widened seeing none other than Harry Potter himself, suddenly standing there like he'd been among the students all along.

Harry looked at Severus with an intense and determine expression. "It seems despite your exhaustive defensive strategies, you still have a bit of a security problem, Headmaster," Harry said bravely.

Behind him, the doors to the Great Hall opened and in came several people Lilia recognized. The Weasley twins of course… no doubt the red haired woman was their mother. She also recognized Kingsley from when he had made visits to Dawn's father and brother at their home over the summer.

Harry turned to look at his friends and then back at Severus. "And I'm afraid it's rather extensive," he said with a faint smirk.

Lilia looked at Harry and then at Severus, unsure of what was happening at that moment. Would Snape protect him? Threaten him? Fight him? … Kill him maybe? She swallowed, unsure of what might occur in the next few minutes.

"How dare you stand where he stood!" Harry suddenly shouted at him. "Tell them how it happened that night!" he cried out.

Lilia felt goose bumps break out along her arms beneath her cloak at the raw hatred and emotion in Harry's voice as he yelled at Snape bravely, no fear in his eyes or in the way he held himself.

"Tell them, how you looked him in the eyes, a man who trusted you! And you kill him!" he shouted again.

Severus narrowed his eyes, uncomfortable wit this accusation, clearly.

Lilia could tell this when she looked at the way he almost looked like he wanted to shrink away from the horrid reality of what he'd done, even if it had been pre arranged by none other than Dumbledore himself.

"Tell them!" Harry demanded of Snape again.

It was then that Severus pulled out his wand against Harry, pointing it at him.

The students scattered back, making ample room so they would not get hurt if a fight broke out and ensued between Severus and… McGonagall.

Dawn had grasped Lilia's arm, pulling her out of the way quickly and into the safety of the crowd.

Lilia glanced back at Dawn momentarily, meeting her eyes, surprised when a look of understanding crossed between them, but then turned back to look at the three who stood away from the crowds of students.

The old crow had stepped in front of Harry protectively, no doubt because he was the only solace and hope the students and her, as well as other professors had anymore.

Severus lowered his wand slightly, hesitant to fight the woman.

Lilia had no doubt it was because he did not wish to actually harm her. She only hoped it would not have to come down to injuring the woman. She wasn't particularly fond of McGonagall… she was strict, and rarely smiled… but she had never given Lilia a detention and never reprimanded her for anything. She had no reason to hate her, and no reason to wish for harm to come to her either.

McGonagall however stayed strong, keeping her wand raised, and quickly Severus raised his again, prepared to fight her at that very moment.

It was at that moment when McGonagall used a firey spell to attack Severus, each attack being warded off skilfully by him.

"Minerva!" squeaked a voice.

Several students turned to see Professor Flitwick and Sprout rushing out of the crowds of students to help, Professor Slughorn close behind while students ducked and backed away to avoid any flying spells.

"No!" squealed Flitwick, raising his wand. "You'll do no more murder at Hogwarts!"

Severus deflected Flitwick's spell with ease and grabbed his cloak, disapparating back a ways and then crashed out through the window, soaring off into the night.

Lilia's eyes widened seeing the window crash as Severus made his escape without harming anyone and without harm to himself, leaving the school behind.

"Coward! COWARD!" Minerva cried after him into the night.

Lilia felt like her world had just fallen apart, seeing him leave so quickly without a moment's hesitation. She hoped dearly he would return, but she sorely doubted it…

Harry moved up to stand next to McGonagall, looking at the Snape shaped hole in the glass window, looking out into the night where just barely, the escaping murderer was disappearing off to.

"It seems he's learned a few tricks from his master…" McGonagall muttered, glaring at the disappearing black figure.

Slughorn ran up to Minerva wide eyed, out of breath. "Snape… what?" he gasped.

"Our Headmaster is taking a short break," said Professor McGonagall, pointing at the hole in the window.

"Professor!" Harry suddenly exclaimed, clutching his head and gritting his teeth. "Professor we've got to barricade the school!" he suddenly exclaimed. "He's coming now!"

"Very well. He Who must Not Be Named is coming," she told the other teachers. Sprout and Flitwick gasped; Slughorn let out a low groan. "Potter has work to do in the castle on Dumbledore's orders. We need to put in place every protection of which we are capable, while Potter does what he needs to do."

"You realise, of course, that nothing we do will be able to keep out You-Know-Who indefinitely?" squeaked Flitwick.

"But we can hold him up," said Professor Sprout determinedly.

"Thank you, Pomona," said McGonagall grimly. "I suggest we establish basic protection around the place, then evacuate the students," she said.

"Students out of bed! Students in the corridors!" Filch exclaimed, jogging through the crowd towards McGonagall.

She frowned, looking at him. "They're supposed to be, you blithering idiot!" she snapped.

"Oh…" Filch said, looking at the students who merely stared back silently.

McGonagall then turned to look at Slughorn. "I shall expect you and the Slytherins here as well, Slughorn," she stated firmly. "If you wish to leave with your students, we shall not stop you. But if any of you attempt to sabotage our resistance, or take up arms against us within this castle, then, Horace, we duel to kill."

"Minerva!" Slughorn said, aghast.

"The time has come for Slytherin house to decide upon its loyalties," interrupted Professor McGonagall in a serious tone, her eyes falling upon the Slytherins who were there.

Lilia swallowed, knowing everything she was saying made perfect sense.

It was then that a sudden ear piercing scream came from somewhere in the hall.

Harry turned and looked, moving through the crowd to a girl who sat in a corner, covering her ears, screaming like she'd gone completely mad. Another scream suddenly came from the other side of the hall, Harry moving back to find it, seeing one of the Patil twins standing there, her eyes wide, her hands covering her ears in a desperate attempt to keep something out.

Suddenly Lilia knew what she was trying so desperately to keep out.

"I know that you are preparing to fight…" said a slithering voice.

Lilia shuddered, covering her ears as her eyes widened. It felt like that sickeningly vile voice was licking at the corners of her minds in a most treacherous way, leaving tendrils of fire everywhere it reached. It made her sick to hear it, frightened to listen to it, and violated to know it was in her head so easily.

"Your efforts are futile. You cannot fight me. I do not want to kill you. I have great respect for the teachers of Hogwarts. I do not want to spill magical blood."

There was a deep and thick silence within the Great Hall suddenly.

Lilia looked around, slowly lowering her hands, wondering if that voice had now gone. She looked at Dawn who glared at nothing in particular, her hands clamped firmly to her ears, evidently making no move to remove them.

"Give me Harry Potter," said Voldemort's voice again, cruelly invading everyone's minds again, "and none shall be harmed. Give me Harry Potter, and I shall leave the school untouched. Give me Harry Potter, and you will be rewarded. You have until midnight…"

The silence was so thick then, one could take a knife and cut right through it.

Lilia's eyes travelled to where Harry stood in the middle of the hall, alone, unprotected. She swallowed, nervous as to what would happen to them all if they did not hand him over. She knew though, she would not betray him. Even though she was a Slytherin, she knew, and she hoped Dawn did too, that Harry was their only hope in this dark world.

"But he's there!" cried out a female voice.

Lilia and Dawn turned to look, seeing Pansy Parkinson standing there, pointing at Harry, her eyes wild with fear. "Potter's there! Someone grab him!" she exclaimed.

Lilia looked at the Slytherin girl, swallowing. She had some guts to demand such a thing of a student body who majority-wise favoured Harry over Voldemort.

"Thank you, Miss. Parkinson," said Professor McGonagall in a clipped voice. "You and the rest of your house may leave first."

"Where will they go, Professor?" Filch asked in confusion.

"I think the dungeons will do for now," McGonagall said dryly.

The other houses burst into cheers, grinning from ear to ear for the first time since school had become that year, thrilled at the Slytherins no longer holding power over the others anymore inside the school boundaries.

With that, the Slytherins were slowly escorted out of the hall, Lilia among them, next to Dawn, who looked like she wanted to murder Pansy with her bare hands for getting them into such a lousy position.

Lilia gasped slightly when she felt a hand grasp hers and she turned to meet the face of one of the Weasley twins. Her eyes widened. "George?"

He grinned. "Smart girl," he said and let go of her hand. "Where you heading?"

She blinked. "With the rest of my house," she pointed out.

Dawn stood close by, looking at the two curiously, her eyes glancing up to meet George's. "What happened to your ear?" she asked bluntly.

He grinned and gingerly touched the bandages. "Ah, quite the tale I must say," he boasted proudly. "Maybe I'll tell you later. For now, you're coming with us," he said.

Lilia frowned. "I'm underage."

"Your point?" Fred piped in, grinning, waving to Lilia.

She glanced at him and nodded slightly in acknowledgement and then looked up at George again. "Me and Dawn, we can't stay," she said.

"Sure you can. Just because they SAY you can't stay to help out doesn't mean you're physically incapable," he chuckled.

She glanced over at Dawn.

She smirked. "I'm sure as bloody hell not going down to those dingy dungeons," she said casually.

"That a girl!" Fred cheered, clapping a hand on Dawn's shoulder in a friendly gesture while George chuckled.

"Come on then, before McGonagall realizes you're here," George said, motioning for her to follow.

Lilia and Dawn reached for each others hands, walking close together with Fred and George, walking down the hallways.

Lilia then suddenly had a very important thought cross her mind and her eyes widened. "I have to find someone," she said urgently.

George glanced back at her and then reached out, tapping Fred on the shoulder.

The other twin glanced back and looked at her curiously.

Lilia met their eyes. "Where will you be? I'll come find you in a minute," she insisted.

George and Fred gave each other a knowing glance and nodded to each other. Fred then sighed. "We'll be on the seventh floor, across from the tapestry depicting Barnabas the Barmy on it," he told her.

She frowned. "Why there?"

"Meeting a few people in the Room of Requirement of course," George said with a grin.

Dawn blinked. "The Room of Requirement?"

The twins nodded, looking rather proud of themselves. "Yea, you'll see it when we get there."

"Brilliant," Dawn grinned, eager to see this famous room that apparently had been difficult for so many to come across.

"See you soon then, yea, Gunner?" George asked her.

She nodded, already stepping away and waved, turning to run as fast as she could to a very specific room that hopefully would give her the one thing… one person, she required the most right now.

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She burst through the doorway into Severus's bedchamber, looking around wide eyed.

He wasn't there.

Her heart ached and she thought she genuinely might weep helplessly, feeling genuinely alone right now. She closed the door and leaned back again it, her throat feeling tight and constricted as she tried to keep her emotions bottled up inside the way she had been able to do so easily before.

Ever since she had submitted herself entirely to Severus in every way… loved him… cared for him… she had been noticing more and more cracks in the shell she had built for herself over the years. It was only tonight that she realized how little of it was left thanks to him.

Normally she wouldn't have minded so much… but right now, right at this very moment she wished she could numb herself to the agony that was threatening to well up inside of her, fearing the arrival of Voldemort, the abandonment of her lover, Severus Snape, the fear of the war that would no doubt be coming that very night when The Dark Lord stepped foot upon Hogwarts grounds to claim the boy he wanted dead for so long.

She closed her eyes, sighing softly to herself. He had left the school entirely, and she really could not blame him. No one would welcome him back here except her.

She glanced up though, when she heard a ruffling sound and her eyes met a pair of dark ones.

Her green eyes widened, her lips parting in shock. "I… I thought you would not come…" she said.

He looked at her silently. "I only hoped you would be smart enough to come up here," he muttered.

She swallowed, looking down. "I thought you'd abandoned me again," she shrugged.

He rolled his eyes. "For the hundredth time, Miss. Gunner, I have not and will never abandon you," he said, striding over to her. "Come," he said.

She looked up and frowned. "Come where?"

He frowned, looking at her. "It isn't safe here for you. I'm taking you elsewhere."

"But I told others I would meet them on the seventh floor!" she exclaimed.

He frowned. "I'm sure they will figure it out in due time," he said seriously, grasping her arm and with that, disapparated from the school for the second time that night, Lilia having no time to even get in a stubborn line or refuse to go with him wherever he would take her.

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(( DUNN DUNNNN DUNNNNNN LOL :P SO! Yea, it's THAT night everybody :O We all know what that means *gets out a big box of tissues for all of us to use and sniffles a little* Yupp… that's gonna be a tough one to write I think… SO! I hope this chapter was good :D It was a bit tricky cause I tried to combine elements from the movie AND the book together which is really tough to do cause they're so different in what happens lmao :P BUT I hope I did a decent job J Also! Guess what. I am not officially 185 dollars in debt -w- Yea… guess who found the Sephora website and her credit card… LOLLLLL ANYways :P That was off topic but I'm excited to get my makeup in the mail in about a week! XD Annnnddd back to the fan fiction. I apologize (even though I had nothing to do with it) for the weird email mix up yesterday :S The email that SHOULD have let everyone know that Chapter 53 was up never even went out. I went to work and came back and it STILL wasn't there. This is even after I deleted the chapter and tried to reupload it like three times lmao BUT it was there yesterday J And here is today's so if you didn't read yesterdays then…. YOU SHOULD HAVE BY NOW! XD Anyways, please let me know what you all thought of this and the previous chapter :D I would love to know ^^ Thank you so much! :D ))


	55. Goodbye

(( Hooray! The email problem fixed itself finally xD Took a load of messing around and clicking stuff O_O BUT Glad to say it's good again :D I hope you all enjoyed the previous two chapters! They were so tough to write, especially 54! :O It was really tricky to implement aspects of the movie as well as the book into the chapter :D Cause personally I liked the scene where Severus speaks to the students in the Great Hall late that night. Plus, it just worked better for me as far as the story line went in this fan fic and who was where at what time :P SO yea! Hope you all liked my attempt to blend the two different versions together for that scene :D Anywho! Here you are with Chapter FIFTY FIVE! :O DUN DUN DUNNN

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the affiliated works. If I did, there would be an overuse of large words that make no sense in the middle of sentences… because this is an odd habit of mine xD Using words that I myself don't fully understand HAHAHA

WARNING: Indeed… this chapter does contains a bit of lemon in it. I hope with this I have satisfied all you lemon lovers reading the story for the time being xD ))

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"Ah!" Lilia gasped, clutching onto Snape's arm when they apparated onto a street somewhere. She lifted her head, brushing back a curtain of black hair and looked around, her green eyes scanning the environment around her. "Spinner's End?" she asked, looking up at him in confusion.

He looked at her without a word.

She felt relief at being in this place with him… far away from danger, but also nervous that she'd left Dawn and the others back at Hogwarts where there was so much danger going on.

"Severus…" she whispered, having not been able to be this alone with him in such a long time.

His frown softened the slightest bit, the same thought seeming to come to his mind.

He motioned for her to follow as they went inside his home, closing the door behind him calmly, locking it.

It was almost instinctual as they moved towards one another, their lips meeting in a desperate attempt to be as close to one another, having not been for several months. Their bodies crushed firmly against one another as Lilia felt Severus affectionately and passionately tangle his hand into her hair, the other hand upon the small of her back. It was then that Lilia realized she'd grown taller. Her head reached just to his chin now, so he didn't need to lean down so far to kiss her and hold her. No doubt, he noticed this glorious change as well.

Lilia gasped softly when she felt a table or something behind her suddenly and she looked up at him in surprise, a bit thrown by how much need he was displaying at that moment.

She could feel her heart racing in her chest, the pink flush that no doubt was making itself visible along her cheeks and nose. She then took his hand and moved towards the stairs,

Once upstairs, she went into his room, Severus closing the door behind him easily once they were inside, and the two resumed locking lips like there would never be another opportunity for it.

Within moments, clothes littered the floor and the bed was beneath Lilia's bare back, her hands reaching up to cup his cheek with on hand while her other hand remained upon his chest, feeling that strong heart beating beneath the pale skin not so different in hue from her own.

She gasped feeling him push inside and she bit her lower lip, taking only a moment or two to adjust to his size, her body remembering so easily the only person who'd ever held any claim on her in body and soul. Her arms moved up to snake around his neck loosely, their lips coming together to share in a passionate kiss as he began to move in and out of her, holding her firmly by her hips, keeping her as close as possible to himself.

Their bodies moved fluidly together as they made love, like they were made to fit perfectly together regardless of the position they were in.

Lilia arched her back panting as he picked up the pace, thrusting harder into her. She wrapped her legs around his waist, her toes curling at how good it felt to experience such ecstasy again.

It was then that it became much more passionate and not about just feeling good or having sex again to feel close. It came as a realization to both of them that Hogwarts was under siege, people would no doubt die to defeat him. They could die just as easily.

Lilia looked up at him when she thought this and she could see he had thought the same thing for some time now. She moved up, pushing him down onto his back and straddled him, kissing him fiercely as she continued, giving him all her love, their chests pressed firmly to each others, hearts beating as one.

They both knew just as well as the other did that this may very well be the last time they ever saw one another. There was so much danger coming so swiftly there was no guarantee they would be together again. They both knew this.

Severus grasped her waist, pulling her as close as their bodies would allow, letting go only when she moved up off him and increased the rate at which she moved herself up and down along his length. He groaned at the sensation, wishing it could last and everything could just pass them by, but then he felt himself release into her at the same moment she came and her muscles tightened further around him for a few moments.

Lilia sat atop him, panting heavily, her breaths coming out shaky as she closed her eyes to recollect her bearings.

Severus watched her, admiring the girl whom he'd attained for himself and fallen so completely and irrevocably in love with. He sat up slowly and pulled her close, being mindful of the position they were still in.

She put her arms around him, holding onto his fiercely, her body trembling from the mix of the high she'd achieved as well as the threat of tears which were trying to well up in her eyes. She closed her eyes, sighing shakily against his neck, refusing to cry at this intimate moment.

Severus then let her lay back and he moved off of her, lying next to her, pulling the blanket over them both just to make her feel more comfortable.

She opened her eyes and looked up at him. "I have to go back…" she said finally.

He knew she could not be reasoned with, so he only nodded. "You won't fight, though…" he told her, his eyes telling her if she did there would be severe consequences to pay not only from him.

She met his gaze head on. "I can't promise you that…" she finally said.

He sighed and closed his eyes, tilting his head back for a moment. When he opened his eyes, there was sadness in his gaze. He turned his head to look at Lilia quietly, reaching out to grasp a lock of her hair gently, swallowing when he watched the cool fine black strands slip through his grasp and back onto the bed. "There's something I need to tell you…" he murmured.

She looked up at him curiously. "What is it?" she asked.

He turned to look at her, reaching out to gently stroke her hair, mixed emotions in his eyes. "I think… you should know that…"

She looked at him and suddenly sat up, shaking her head fiercely. "Don't say it," she said quickly, panic in her voice. "Don't say those words, Severus."

He frowned the slightest bit. "I-"

"Lalalalalalaa!" Lilia cried out, covering her eyes firmly, shutting her eyes so she wouldn't even be able to see him mouth the words to her.

He glared in serious irritation and grabbed her wrists, pulling her hands away from her ears and looked at her fiercely. "Stop acting like a little brat," he said seriously.

"Then don't you dare say those words to me, Severus Snape," she said, her eyes already beginning to smart, and not from how hard his grip was on her wrists.

He looked into her eyes, his frown still very deep and his gaze stern, but he said it none the less. "I love you," he told her.

She felt her lower lip trembled and her eyes welled up against her will. She lowered her head, feeling weakened by his statement, tears rolling down her cheeks. "Then why does it feel like you're actually telling me goodbye?" she whimpered, lifting her head, looking at him sadly.

He clenched his jaw tightly, reaching up and wiped her tears away with his hand, but he said nothing. He merely drew her closer, holding her firmly in his arms, almost afraid to let go of her, fearing what might come for both of them by the end of the night.

Eventually Lilia's shoulders stopped shaking with her struggles at trying to stop crying. She pulled back, kissing him fiercely, sadness still in her eyes when they parted. "We should go…" she whispered. "We can't stay here anymore."

He nodded, looking solemn.

The two climbed from the bed and moved to put their clothes on, at last, dressed and ready to return to the castle preparing for battle.

Severus looked at her as she pulled her cloak on. "You can still stay here…" he told her.

She looked up at him and shook her head. "No. I won't stay here and hide while Dawn and the others are back there in the middle of a war…" she said firmly, determination in her eyes. "I won't stay here where I don't know about what's happening to the school… to you…" she said.

He tensed. "You and I won't be anywhere near each other," he said.

She smiled weakly. "I know… but it will make me feel better being there," she said finally.

He sighed. "Very well…" he said, holding his hand out to her.

She reached out for it and with that they disapparated, coming to Severus's bed chambers in the school again. Lilia let go of his hand after a moment too long and looked up at him. "I'll find you later…" she whispered, her heart aching in fear and sadness as the sound of battle met her ears.

He looked at her for a moment, then disapparated again, not wishing to be found by the Hogwarts staff on the school property.

She stared at the spot where he'd stood only a moment before and her eyes welled up, realizing she hadn't told him she loved him back. "I love you…" she whispered to the empty room, shutting her eyes tightly as tears flowed down her cheeks for the second time in that last hour.

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(( Aww L This chapter actually made me tear up a little. Maybe cause I feel what my characters feel while writing sometimes so Lilia's sadness kinda made me sad L SOOOOOO Please let me know what you all thought of this chapter! I WANT TO KNOWWWW xD Anyways, off I go to actually eat something now xDDD Toodleoo! ))


	56. Casualties of War

(( Aww, the last chapter actually made me tear up a lot while writing it and I was pleased and surprised that it made others tear up too! L So now we've reached chapter 56 and I hope you all appreciate it. Enjoy.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the affiliated works. If I did, this fan fiction would be going on forever and ever and ever cause Snape didn't get killed off -o- ))

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"My lord…" came a cracked voice. Lucius stood to the side of Voldemort, looking at the man somewhat fearfully. "My lord… please… my son…"

"If your son is dead, Lucius, it is not my fault. He did not come and join me like the rest of the Slytherins. Perhaps he has decided to befriend Harry Potter?"

"No - never," whispered Malfoy.

"You must hope not."

"Aren't - aren't you afraid, my lord, that Potter might die at another hand but yours?" asked Malfoy, his voice shaking. "Wouldn't it be… forgive me… more prudent to call off this battle, enter the castle and seek him y - yourself?"

"Do not pretend, Lucius. You wish the battle to cease so that you can discover what has happened to your son. And I do not need to seek Potter. Before the night is out, Potter will have come to find me."

Voldemort dropped his gaze once more to the wand in his fingers. It troubled him… and those things that troubled Lord Voldemort needed to be rearranged…

"Go and fetch Snape."

"Snape, m - my lord?"

"Snape. Now. I need him. There is a - service - I require from him. Go."

Frightened, stumbling a little through the gloom, Lucius left the room. Voldemort continued the stand there, twirling the wand between his fingers, staring at it.

"It is the only way, Nagini," Voldemort whispered.

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"Lilia!" Dawn exclaimed, grasping her arm and pulling her into a fierce embrace when the black haired girl came down the hallway of the seventh floor.

Lilia was surprised at how tightly Dawn held onto her and she blinked. "Dawn?"

Dawn pulled away and then roughly shook her, a very irritated look in her eyes. "Where have you been this entire time young lady? The battle started not soon after you left and me and the twins have been worried sick," she said in a very firm and reprimanding tone. "Don't you ever run off like that again," she said fiercely.

Lilia seemed surprised by this but nodded, swallowing nervously. She was about to say something when the Weasley twins ran swiftly up the hall. "We have to get you two out of here," George said, looking for the wall to open the Room of Requirement.

Dawn glowered. "We're not hiding away and being useless bodies!" she exclaimed.

Lilia looked at her wide eyed. "Dawn, we're underage," she said in alarm.

Dawn looked fiercer than Lilia could ever remember her. "I don't care. War is no time to be thinking about the rules. I will not hide away like a coward while everyone else fights," she said, meeting Fred's gaze.

Fred looked back at her and then nodded solemnly.

Lilia glanced back and forth between the two, then gasped when the group made their way down the hall. "Dawn!" she screamed, following after her.

The sounds of battle continuously greeted Lilia's ears with explosions, lights emitting through the windows each time the Death Eaters attacks the perimiters of the school, forcing their entry through the barriers around it. For the first time, Lilia felt truly panicked, even if she was still several floors up from where the Death Eaters were bound to come through at any moment when the barriers around the school failed.

Along the way, their small group found a few more students looking wildly around for any forms of safety and they took them on.

Lilia recognized Lee Jordan and Hannah Abbott. The others, not as much.

Finally they stopped and Lilia took a deep shaky breath, doubling over and sighed. "Bloody hell, why'd we stop all of a sudden?" she asked, looking up at them.

George grinned, standing next to a passage that had most certainly not been there before. "Waiting for our friends," he said, drawing his wand.

Somehow everyone else knew to do the same, even if they were underage.

It was then that Harry Potter himself came around a corner and saw them all, wands drawn and listening to the opening.

"Nice night for it!" Fred shouted, as the castle quaked again, and Harry sprinted by.

Dawn watched him go and then she looked at Lilia. "He'd better save our asses. I don't fancy the idea of dying for some bloke who doesn't even know I exist," she huffed.

Lilia blanched at the choice of words and glowered at Dawn who merely smirked and turned back to face the tunnel as the school rumbled again, sending a few paintings and tapestries to the floor.

It didn't take long for the barriers to break however. Soon, Death Eaters had penetrated the school and it as only a matter of time before they began to come in through the once concealed entrance in the school.

"Stupefy!" Fred and George would cry out, backing up as more and more and more came in.

Dawn cried out her own assortment of spells as they began to come in through not only that one entrance, but eventually through other hallways as well and other entrances they hadn't stopped to man.

Lilia felt cold blooded fear wash through her as she backed up with Dawn, keeping close to the friend she trusted most as more and more Death Eaters littered the hallways and tried to kill or injure as many students as they could.

Lilia glanced to the side momentarily to see Fred disappearing around a corner with another red haired man whom Lilia did not recognized, the two battling off their own pair of Death Eaters.

Dawn suddenly grabbed Lilia's hand and pulled her around a corner. "Falling back, falling back, falling back," she said quickly, taking off down a corridor with her.

Lilia gasped. "What?"

"So clearly I underestimated how much this battle would take," she said, a slight hint of panic in her eyes as she looked back at the abandoned battle.

Lilia wrenched her hand from Dawn's grasp and looked at her in bewilderment. "Dawn! We can't just leave them!"

Dawn looked at her solemnly. "And why not? We're both Slytherins you and I… in all honesty we shouldn't even be fighting here," she said and screeched as a spell flew over her head, just barely missing her and she glared, firing off another series of spells at a Death Eater coming around the corner.

Lilia swore under her breath and fired off her own spells in an attempt to protect herself and Dawn.

The two took cover behind a statue, taking turns casting their own defensive spells, using anything that came to mind so they could fight off their enemies.

"Oh god…" Dawn whispered, resting her forehead against the cold stone of the wall. "This is too much…. I have parents. I have a brother. I have a home. I don't want to die battling for some stupid Gryffindor boy that brought all his destiny and problems with him even though we didn't ask for it…" she whined.

Lilia sighed shakily, peeking around the statue. "Stupefy!" she cried out, stunning another Death Eater who had not paid close enough attention to where the spells were diverting from. She then looked at Dawn with slight sympathy in her eyes. "Dawn… we all have things we need to live for. Please don't be a jerk and let others die just because you refused to help out."

"Help out?" Dawn gaped. "I didn't ask for any of this," she said.

Lilia shut her eyes and sighed. "I know, no one did, Dawn. But the fact is, we're here now and we can't just run off like a pair of losers with our tail between our legs," she pointed out.

Dawn seemed to calm down from her near sense of hysteria and then nodded, looking determined again. "Alright… let's go then," she said seriously and grasped Lilia's hand, the two making their way back to one of the bigger groups, resuming their fight with them.

It seemed to go on forever without end, and Lilia still felt fear. No doubt Dawn did as well, but she was proud of her friend to stick by her side even though she was afraid of what might happen.

And then something awful happened that Lilia had not foreseen.

As the school filled with the sounds and cries of those in battle, she had turned away to stupefy another Death Eater who'd managed to worm his way through the hole, his mask falling off just as Lilia hit him with another spell. But she'd failed to notice the Death Eater marking her as its target, firing a nasty charm her way.

Dawn hadn't failed to notice.

She ran over to where Lilia stood and pushed her out of the way roughly and to the floor, crying out as they both went down rather painfully.

Lilia winced when her wrist sprained under her and she gasped, looking up at Dawn who still was atop her, paler than normal.

"Dawn!: she exclaimed, momentarily relieved to see her again after what seemed an eternity of hell in those cloudy and scream filled hallways. She'd become divided from her for a few minutes, and those were the worst few minutes of her life. Or so she'd thought. "Dawn?" she asked, her relieved expression turning to that of concern.

Dawn smiled weakly and reached up, brushing back Lilia's bangs affectionately.

Lilia frowned. "Dawn, what's going on?" she asked, moving to push her off which was when she felt it. Wet, warm, blood. Lilia raised her hand and looked at the crimson liquid so similar in color to Dawn's hair and she felt she might scream for eternity in rage, fear and disbelief. She looked at her friend wide eyed, then looked down to her friends side where her white blouse, always so crisp and neat and tidy… was soaking rapidly with blood. "D…Dawn…" she spluttered in bewilderment.

Dawn slid off Lilia and to her side, wincing painfully and sighed shakily, laying on her back. "Ouch…" she mumbled weakly.

Lilia sat up and looked at Dawn in fear. "Dawn, Dawn please don't close your eyes," she pleaded, hating the weak look Dawn had. "Dawn!"

Dawn frowned, opening her eyes more and looked up at Lilia. "What?"

"Don't you DARE die tonight," she said firmly, her teeth clenched in an effort to stop herself from crying.

Dawn smiled weakly. "It's okay… I said I didn't fancy dying for someone who didn't know I existed… but you know I exist.." she shrugged and then groaned in pain as her entire front became soaked with blood. She reached up with a shaky hand and grasped Lilia's bloody one and sighed shakily. "Don't worry about me… you're sortof worth dying for I suppose…" she whispered. "Do what you have to do… I'll just… rest… for a while…" she murmured, closing her eyes and lay still on the ground.

Lilia couldn't hear the sounds of battle anymore. She sat there, clutching Dawn's hand tightly in her own, holding onto that last shred of warmth, rocking back and forth as she hung her head in defeat. Never in all her years here had she thought she was feel such horrifying agony as seeing a friend die. Even being abandoned by Severus had not hurt as much as this did.

Lilia knew she was crying. She knew she was screaming even when someone pulled her away from Dawn and ran with her down the corridor. She tried to fight her way back to where Dawn was lying, even if there was a chance she herself would get killed. "No!" she screamed in agony, trying to struggle away from the arms that had been dragging her back to safety. "No! You can't leave her!" she screamed and sobbed, her vision having gone completely blurry, though there was still that blur of crimson to tell her where Dawn lay on the ground.

She didn't want her friend to be dead… She didn't want any of this…

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"…My lord, their resistance is crumbling -"

"- and it is doing so without your help," said Voldemort, in his clear voice. "Skilled wizard though you are, Severus, I do not think you will make much difference now. We are almost there… almost."

"Let me find the boy. Let me bring you Potter. I know I can find him, my lord. Please."

Voldemort stood tall in the Boathouse silently, looking at the black haired wizard. "I have a problem, Severus," he said softly.

"My Lord?" said Snape.

Voldemort raised the Elder Wand, holding it as delicately and precisely as a conductor's baton.

"Why doesn't it work for me, Severus?"

"M - my Lord?" said Snape blankly. "I do not understand. You - you have performed extraordinary magic with that wand."

"No," said Voldemort. "I have performed my usual magic. I am extraordinary, but this wand… no. It has not revealed the wonders it has promised. I feel no difference between this wand and the one I procured from Ollivander all those years ago."

His tone was musing, calm… but there was a danger lying beneath those words and Severus knew it well.

"No difference," said Voldemort again. "I have thought long and hard, Severus… do you know why I have called you back from the battle?"

Severus swallowed briefly, glancing upon Nagini who lay not far behind Voldemort. "No, my lord, but I beg you will let me return. Let me find Potter."

"You sound like Lucius. Neither of you understands Potter as I do. He does not need finding. Potter will come to me. I know his weakness, you see, his one great flaw. He will hate watching the others struck down around him, knowing that it is for him that it happens. He will want to stop it at any cost. He will come."

"But my Lord, he might be killed accidentally by one other than yourself -"

"My instructions to my Death Eaters have been perfectly clear. Capture Potter. Kill his friends - the more, the better - but do not kill him.

Severus felt cold fury and fear growing in his gut at the thought that Lilia was back there in the middle of that battle, fighting for her very life. He feared she might be killed somehow as well. It was a thought that drove him desperate to go back to battle and make sure she was alright, but he made no move to leave without permission.

"But it is of you that I wished to speak, Severus, not Harry Potter. You have been very valuable to me. Very valuable."

"My Lord knows I seek only to serve him. But - let me go and find the boy, my Lord. Let me bring him to you. I know I can -"

"I have told you, no!" Voldemort hissed. "My concern at the moment, Severus, is what will happen when I finally meet the boy!"

"My Lord, there can be no question, surely -?"

"- but there is a question, Severus. There is." He paced for a moment, then looked at Snape. "Why did both the wands I have used fail when directed at Harry Potter?"

"I - I cannot answer that, my Lord."

"Can't you? My wand of yew did everything of which I asked it, Severus, except to kill Harry Potter. Twice it failed. Under told me under torture of the twin cores, told me to take another wand. I did so, but Lucius' wand shattered upon meeting Potter's."

"I - I have no explanation, my Lord."

"I sought a third wand, Severus. The Elder Wand, the Wand of Destiny, the Deathstick. I took it from it's previous master. I took it from the grave of Albus Dumbledore."

Snape looked at Voldemort then, feeling mildly sickened by the thought of Dumbledore's grave violated under such terms.

"My Lord - let me go to the boy -"

"All this long night, when I am on the brink of victory, I have sat here," Voldemort said, his voice barely louder than a whisper, "wondering, wondering, why the Elder Wand refuses to be what it ought to be, refuses to perform as legend says it must perform for its rightful owner… and I think I have the answer."

He felt a chill travel up his spine at Voldemort's tone. He didn't like at all where this was going. He hadn't liked it for some time, the sense of danger rising higher and higher with each word the Dark Lord spoke.

"Perhaps you already know it? You are a clever man, after all, Severus. You have been a good and faithful servant, and I regret what must happen."

Severus felt his stomach knot. "My Lord -"

"The Elder Wand cannot serve me properly, Severus, because I am not its true master. The Elder Wand belongs to the wizard who killed its last owner. You killed Albus Dumbledore. While you live, Severus, the Elder Wand cannot be truly mine."

"My Lord!" Severus protested, raising his wand.

"It cannot be any other way," said Voldemort. "I must master the wand, Severus. Master the wand, and I master Potter at last."

Severus took a step back, outrage and fear in his eyes at what was coming. He watched Voldemort raised his wand and swiped the air. For a moment, he thought he'd been reprieved, but then saw Nagini approaching and heard The Dark Lord utter one word in Parseltongue, though it didn't take any brilliant mind to know what that word translated to.

"Kill."

Nagini attacked, his fangs piercing Severus's neck.

Severus failed to push the snake off or get away, falling to his knees upon the floor as Nagini sank its fangs into his neck again and again.

"I regret it," said Voldemort coldly.

He turned away; there was no sadness in him, no remorse. It was time to leave the boathouse and take charge, with a wand that would not do his full bidding. He pointed it at his snake, motioning for it to follow and swpet away from the room without a backwards glance.

It was silent for a while, Severus having those few moments to recollect his thought amidst the pain invading his body. He would die… he knew he would. But it wasn't the knowledge of death coming his way which hurt so much. Not even the wounds in his neck and shoulder which ached terribly. It was the thought that he would never get to see Lilia again. He would never have the chance to hold her or watch her grow older or become an independent woman. He would not know if she had survived the war or died fighting her way through it. The thought made his eyes sting with remorse and regret, wishing he'd never come to see Voldemort then. Somehow he'd always known he would die that night. And he had no doubt that Lilia had known as well, as much as they both refused to believe it. But the thought still hurt and left him feeling more pained than any physical blow could.

"Harry!" breathed a voice.

Severus looked around the empty room weakly, feeling the life within him slipping away. And then Harry appeared out of thin air, looking over him with widened eyes.

He reached out weakly, his body already beginning to fail him. A terrible rasping noise escaping his lips as he struggled to convey words to the dark haired youth.

"Take… it… Take… it…" he whispered hoarsely, his hand clutching at Harry's clothes.

Something more than blood was leaking from Severus. A silvery blue stream gushing from his eyes, ears and mouth. Neither gas, nor liquid.

Harry knew what it was and what to do with it.

Hermione came forward, producing a vial from thin air and handed it to Harry who took it with shaking hands and bottled the memories seeping out of Snape without the aid of a wand.

When the vial was completely filled, Severus let go of Harry's robes and looked at him with the last bit of life he had left in him. He remembered at that moment that Harry had inherited Lily's eyes. The same eyes Lilia had been born with. Those green eyes who had come to love so much about her. "Look… at… me…" he whispered.

The green eyes found the black, and for a moment, Severus could pretend they belonged to his Lilia… but after a second something in the depths of the dark pair seemed to vanish, leaving them fixed, blank and empty as his hand thudded to the floor quietly. Severus could die now, pretending that the last thing he had set eyes upon were eyes that belonged to Lilia… he could pretend… he died, his last thoughts being of no one but her…

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(( *sniffle* So sad… TT_TT This was so hard to get through cause one, it's got so much sad stuff in it, and two, I wanted to get the words PERFECT so I sat here with my book open, flipping back and forth to different scenes to get the reality of it juuuust right xD SO I hope you can all appreciate this - ^ - So… yea… Severus Snape… has died L Lilia IS still alive though, so you must come back tomorrow for another chapter. I know you all wanted him to live somehow BUUUTTT to be quite frank… I've never been a fan of the happy ending things. They just aren't realistic -_- AND Severus died in the books, so he had to die here too…. Fml, I was crying all over again reading through the chapter TT_TT Ugh… well… please review and lemme know your thoughts, and tomorrow chapter 57 will be up for you all to read. So yea… _ ))


	57. Wake Up

(( Aww, I feel bad to have made people cry with my last chapter, but wasn't it obvious he wasn't going to live? *le sigh* This would be so much easier if Snape had just survived in the novels anyways Dx Eurgh… I was so depressed going to work after writing that chapter *sighs* BUT people said it was very good so that's good to know : ) Thanks for enjoying. Here is chapter 57.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter. If I did, that last fan fiction chapter wouldn't have been so sad and emotional because SNAPE WOULDN'T HAVE DIED IN THE STORY LINE DAMMIT! Dx RAWRRR *sniffle sob* ))

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"You have fought valiantly. Lord Voldemort knows how to value bravery. Yet you have sustained heavy losses. If you continue to resist me, you will all die, one by one. I do not wish this to happen. Every drop of magical blood spilled is a loss and a waste. Lord Voldemort is merciful. I command my forces to retreat immediately. You have one hour. Dispose of your dead with dignity. Treat your injured… I speak now, Harry Potter, directly to you. You have permitted your friends to die for you rather than face me yourself. I shall wait for one hour in the Forbidden Forest. If, at the end of that hour you have not come to me, have not given yourself up, then battle recommences. This time, I shall enter the fray myself, Harry Potter, and I shall find you, and I shall punish every last man, woman and child who has tried to conceal you from me. One hour."

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Lilia opened her tear reddened eyes while she sat in the Great Hall. The battle had been stopped for some time… the dead had been collected… and she feared the worst. She could feel something had happened to him… something awful. She could feel it in her heart, her soul, her bones… She desperately wanted to find him and make sure he was alright… Just to see he was still breathing…

So many people had died that night to protect one stupid boy. None of these people had asked to be killed, and yet they'd been squashed like bugs under an enormous shoe.

They had been granted an hour to collect their dead and assemble them in the Great Hall to mourn them or simply provide better resting areas for those who had no one.

Lilia had found Dawn, and she had been alive barely… but she'd slipped away and moved on after they had spoken for a few brief moments, the young girl's wounds too great to overcome as it turned out. Lilia had thought it cruel to have her friend ripped from her life in the hall so suddenly… but she'd been wrong. Fate had been far crueller to give her a false sense of hope, to give Dawn back to her, only to wrench her away again.

She could still remember the last conversation she'd ever had and ever would have with Dawn…

_"Seriously, Lilia, if you keep squeezing like that, you'll truly end me," came a familiar irritated voice._

_Lilia's head shot up and her eyes widened in astonishment as Dawn opened her eyes, staring unfocused at the ceiling of the Great Hall. "Dawn…" she breathed in awe._

_"Where the bloody hell are we, anyways?" Dawn asked, closing her eyes again, her words weak and quiet. _

_"The Great Hall," Lilia explained._

_Dawn frowned even with her eyes closed. "Why?" she croaked. _

_"The battle has been postponed so we can gather our dead and injured…" she said quietly._

_Dawn raised a brow, opening her eyes partially and blinked a few times to focus on Lilia. "Charming…" she whispered. _

_Lilia smiled weakly. "Yea…" _

_Dawn sighed. "Why do you look so depressed…?" she asked._

_Lilia's eyes welled up and she shook her head. "I'm just scared… about all the things that might happen…" she whispered._

_Dawn's hold on Lilia's hand squeezed just a tiny bit more. "You're worried about him aren't you?" she asked._

_Lilia looked up at her friend quietly and swallowed, nodding. _

_Dawn smirked weakly. "It was always him, wasn't it…? Snape…?" _

_Lilia stared at her friend, unsure of how to proceed with this new knowledge that her friend had somehow come to terms with._

_"I'm not mad," Dawn said. "Just… surprise… but not surprised at the same time I guess…" she said. She winced slightly and her breath suddenly came out a little ragged. "Just… tell me something…" she said. "Tell me he treats you well…" she whispered, her eyes slipping closed again. "Make sure… he doesn't ever hurt you… " she murmured. _

_"Dawn?" Lilia whimpered. _

_"Make sure he always shows you that… he loves you… dearly…" Dawn whispered. "Because you deserve… to know… everyday…"_

_Lilia's eyes welled up as Dawn's hand went slack within her own at last, and her friend passed away. It was like ice picks wrenching and stabbing at her heart as she gazed upon her friend who'd died at last, her last words being ones of love and reassurance. _

_Lilia's lower lip trembled and she hung her head, her shoulders shaking as she mourned the loss of someone dear to her. Someone like a sister to her. She would never be able to hear Dawn tormenting her again. Laughing about something entirely foolish. Saying something in that wonderful sarcastic tone. She would never smile again at Lilia. She would never see her parents or her brother or her soon to be sister-in-law either… Dawn had passed away… and left everything else behind…_

That was the last time Dawn had ever spoken… and it hurt Lilia to remember it. It hurt to know she would never be able to sneak in late at night to Dawn tormenting and teasing her about where she'd been and what she'd been up to during that time.

She glanced up though, when a familiar group entered the Great Hall.

Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley.

Lilia watched as Harry separated himself from the group and Hermione and Ron went to mourn the death of Fred Weasley, who had died at some point during battle.

They were close by when Lilia heard them mentioning Snape in their conversation. Her head shot up and she stood from Dawn's body, and walked over to them cautiously.

Ron was the first to notice her. Hermione after him, looking up and then glanced at Ron curiously. Then back at Lilia. "Hello," Hermione said.

Lilia looked a bit uncomfortable and clutched at the front of her robs softly. "Where is he?" she asked.

Hermione frowned.

Ron raised a brow. "Who? Harry?"

Lilia shook her head. "No, not him. Snape. Where is Snape?" she asked.

Hermione realized why Lilia was asking and glanced at Ron sympathetically, leaning over. "It's his daughter…" she whispered, having heard the rumors that only a select few students had learned somehow.

Ron's face became solemn and he looked at Hermione, then back at Lilia with an almost helpless look. "He's d-"

"Down in the boathouse…" Hermione said quickly before Ron could deliver a most crushing blow. "Lilia… I… I wouldn't go there if I were you," she said, looking at the dark haired girl sympathetically.

Lilia was afraid to hear it but she shook her head. "No… I need to see him…" she said quickly.

Ron looked uncomfortably at Hermione, who met his gaze and then looked back at Lilia with an unsure glance.

"Boathouse…" Ron muttered unenthusiastically.

Lilia nodded and turned away, heading towards the door of the Great Hall. She glanced at where Dawn lay under the blanket she'd drawn up over her friend to rest undisturbed and away from prying eyes. After that, she left and headed towards the front entrance of the school.

Leaving the castle, Lilia made her way along the path to the boathouse, it being only an hour or so before Dawn broke. She found the dock outside the glass building and walked around it, then came to the door. She hesitated a moment and then opened it, stepping inside.

She knew of course, what she would see… but she had that shred of hope that perhaps she would be wrong, or that maybe he would be alright after all… but then she saw him… still and unmoving on the floor and she felt herself break and shatter inside.

Her eyes welled up and her lower lip trembled when her gaze fell upon his lifeless body, looking at the blood staining his neck and the floor. And it was like all sound and feeling vanished from the world in that moment.

She ended up next to him, her knees scraped from how fast she'd gotten down to his level, but she didn't care.

"Wake up! Wake up, Severus, wake up!" she cried pleadingly, cupping his face in her hands. "Please wake up!" she begged, tears streaming down her face. "Please, please please," she begged, hugging him close to her body, rocking back and forth. "Don't leave me too… please don't leave me behind like everyone else did…" she begged, her body trembling. "Please come back…" she whimpered.

She closed her eyes tightly, clutching him to her body as much as she could, rocking his limp self back and forth, her body racked with sobs.

And then she screamed in agony. She didn't hear it. But she knew she was screaming. Sound began to fade and she screamed and sobbed as loud as she could, so hard she wouldn't have been surprised if she couldn't speak for the rest of the week because of how raw her throat had become.

Eventually she propped him up against the wall into a seating position, her sobs and screams having died down eventually until tears just silently fell down her cheeks. She reached up, brushing back some of his black hair from his face, which looked like he was maybe just asleep.

She felt a large lump rising in her throat as she gazed upon a man who she loved with her whole heart, but who would never speak or move again… who was gone from the world.

"I love you…" she whispered to him, her eyes welling up anew.

She moved to sit next to his lifeless shell, hugging his limp arm and curled her legs up to her body. She rested her head against his shoulder, crying silently and helplessly as she closed her eyes, wishing she could wake up from the nightmare of that night and find everything good again…

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It was early in the afternoon when Lilia heard voices and footsteps.

"… two bodies…" said a familiar female voice. "Have someone come down to fetch them immediately…"

"Yes, headmistress," said a man, footsteps retreating out of the boathouse.

Lilia opened her eyes slowly, seeing the silhouette of Professor McGonagall standing in the entrance of the boathouse, her back to her, watching whoever she'd just spoken with go back to the school, she supposed.

"One body…" Lilia croaked.

McGonagall looked back in alarm at the sudden voice issued from the girl. "Miss. Gunner!" she gasped, recognizing her from other classes. "Whatever are you doing down here?" she asked, walking over steadily.

Lilia's soulless eyes watched McGonagall approach and she shrugged with indifference. "Keeping him company…" she whispered.

McGonagall frowned, but then helped Lilia up. "You must go immediately to the infirmary to make sure you are alright, dear girl," she said.

Lilia walked mechanically towards the doorway, numbed by grief and loss, so much so she could barely bring herself to move, her eyes looking sallow and haunted and empty the way they hadn't looked for years. "I'll be alright…" she whispered.

McGonagall escorted Lilia towards the school, leaving her with another staff member to go back and make sure Severus Snape's body was removed appropriately from where it currently lay.

Lilia barely remember being in the infirmary, being checked for any injuries, then released within minutes, declared physically fine and healthy.

She wandered the halls silently, feeling nothing for the crying faces of other students, displaying no concern for those who still needed help.

She went to only one place.

Sitting down on the leather couch of the Slytherin common room, Lilia moved to lay her head down upon the cool surface, staring unseeingly at the unlit fireplace.

There was no more love inside her. There was no more Dawn Pyrites. No more Severus Snape to look forward to seeing in the halls or during class. There was nothing for her here. There was not a single thing left in the world that she loved or wanted anymore. Within the last night, all that she cared about had been torn away from her by the fates, leaving her empty handed, alone and abandoned.

She closed her eyes silently, feeling she would never smile, never laugh, never cry… ever again.

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Lilia looked at the empty seat beside her in the funeral procession. Dawn would have been sitting there… if she had survived. Dawn had known about her and Severus… for how long, Lilia didn't know. But she knew if Dawn had still been alive, she would have been respectful and said not a word during the funeral today.

Severus Snape… Today he was being laid to rest in a tomb much like Albus Dumbledore's, with honour by those who were there, who knew the real story of why he had done what he'd done… to protect Harry Potter.

Somehow, the Potter boy had managed to pull off a lot in the last day, having so much set in motion to pay his long overdue respects to a man whom he'd hated with his whole heart since coming to the school.

But enough of that… Severus Snape had died. There would be no final exchange of words between her and him again.

Lilia had been left alone in the world, without family, without a friend and without the love of her life. Everything had been torn away from her, denied by the very fate's who'd decided to leave her numb inside and out once again, and this time… quite possibly permanently.

Lilia didn't mind though… if as soon as she admitted she loved someone they were torn from her, she figured it was better that she not love anyone at all. Not care, like she'd used to. Maybe her love was some sort of death sentence long pre determined by the fates. She didn't know. And it really didn't matter anymore. Her mother, Dawn, and Severus had all died and she'd loved all of them.

Eventually, the small group which had gathered for Severus Snape's funeral began to disperse, one by one, either leaving right away or saying a few words to their previous Headmaster and Professor.

Eventually, Lilia was one of the last to be there, gazing at the black tomb which encased the man she'd completely given herself to. She rose slowly from her seat, walking to the tomb and looked at it quietly.

'It was always him, wasn't it…?' Dawn's words echoed in her head.

It Didn't hurt anymore to know she wouldn't come to stand by her side again, either.

The students and adults who'd died at Hogwarts the previous night had been laid to rest either in a cemetery not far from the school, or in their own burial plots by the request of their families if they had any, like Dawn had been.

Snape had been laid to rest on school property next to Albus Dumbledore, an inscription upon his tomb saying a few words of his bravery against the Dark Lord and his role in the Battle of Hogwarts.

Eventually Lilia glanced back to see the few chairs set up for the funeral being cleared away, so she turned and walked away, heading back to the school which for the second year in a row, closed a month early, parents and families desperate to have their children back home in safety.

Lilia had nowhere to go. She supposed she could go back to Spinner's End, but she was a mere child. She couldn't live on her own.

She supposed she would see where she ended up when she boarded the train to go back to King's Cross.

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Lilia got her trunk off the train when she arrived at King's Cross Station, on Platform 9 ¾ late in the afternoon. She looked around at the other families who ran to greet each other, seeking to make sure they were each alright and unharmed. And for those who had sustained injury, their parents made sure to kiss those injuries away fiercely, much to the embarrassment of several Hogwarts students.

Lilia had no one rushing to kiss her injuries away, to hug her close and assure her they weren't letting go anytime soon. No one to greet her in the most mortifying of ways.

She pushed her trolley in front of her quietly, making her way through the crowd, prepared to search anywhere for a place to stay until she sorted out a better plan.

"Lilia!"

She frowned, thinking she'd heard a voice calling out her name, but ignored it, striding calmly towards the wall which would take her back to the entirely Muggle world.

"Lilia! Wait!" a hand came down on her shoulder gently, and she turned to look up into the face of Dawn's brother, Felix. "And where do you think you're going?" he asked her with a slightly forced smirk.

She looked at him quietly. "I don't know…" she responded quietly.

"Well, then come on. Everyone's waiting for you," he said, motioning back to where Tamora and Declan stood together, waiting, smiling reassuringly at her, another tall slender girl with light brown hair and slightly sun kissed skin standing with them. Mary-emma, Lilia guessed.

She looked at them, then up at Felix in confusion. "But… why?"

Felix sighed. "Look, I won't lie. We were all devastated when we found out Dawn died protecting you. In all honesty, Declan looked like he might kill someone when he found out, but… we all know she died protecting you because she wanted to. Because she saw you like a sister… and… well… the least we can do is take you into our family and help you for as long as we can…" he said. "We figure it's what Dawn would have wanted us to do," he said quietly.

She looked at him quietly, then looked down. "Are you sure..?" she asked.

He nodded. "We all are," he said.

Lilia thought about it for several moments, but then nodded. "Alright… I'll come with you…" she said finally.

He smiled warmly at her. "Fantastic," he said and took hold of Lilia's trolley, pushing it for her while she walked with him towards the family which had shown her nothing but acceptance and love, even when their own daughter had died in her place.

She glanced up at Felix before they reached the rest of the Pyrites family. "Thank you…"

He nodded, smiling slightly at her. "You're always welcome with us," he assured her.

She turned to look at the other members and moved to hug them back, even though she still felt nothing for anything, even when Tamora smiled and assured her things would get better.

Lilia could not see things getting better. How did anything get better when your mother, best friend, and love of your life had died?

She didn't bother stating this though, following the others quietly outside, wondering where her life would go from that point on.

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(( L So there you are, chapter 57. SO tomorrow is chapter 58, the final chapter and the end to this lovely little fan fiction I've created. *sniffles* My baby is coming to an end TT_TT I really hope you all remember this fan fiction even after it's finished and occasionally come back to reread it or re-review it so say you still love it or something haha That would make me so proud :D Anyways! Please tell me what you thought of this chapter! I would really like to know. Anyways, off to work I go YET again xDDD ))


	58. Snape

(( Aww, this makes me sad L Chapter 58... The FINAL chapter in Other Evils in this World. Shame L Isn't it? *sigh* BUT luckily I have an idea for another fan fiction spontaneously taking shape in my head and at the end of this chapter I will happily provide a link to it for you all to go and begin reading that one if you like :D HOPEFULLY you'll like that one as much as this one xD The other one will be a little easier to work with since the characters aren't continuously written about in HP (yes it's another HP fanfic lol) so I have more options to work with them J Any who! Please enjoy this final chapter and let me all know what you think after you've read it : 3 ))

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"She's so weird. She always walks around out there, and she'll sometimes sit near that tomb for hours. it's not healthy," said a young Gryffindor boy.

"I don't know… I think she's just… sad…" said a slightly younger and shorter Gryffindor boy.

The other frowned. "Why are you sticking up for her? Doesn't she absolutely hate you?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. She doesn't seem particularly fond of me, but I suppose she;s entitled to dislike me if she wants," he pointed out.

The other boy rolled his eyes and shook his head. "You're too nice and understanding sometimes…"

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"You aren't eating again?"

The headmistress shook her head, twisting the ring upon her wedding finger absently. "I haven't been feeling well all day. I don't feel like having dinner tonight…" she murmured.

The professor frowned. "You've said that for the last few weeks… You've been skipping breakfast, lunch and dinner. Sometimes all three meals in the entire day."

She shrugged indifferently. "It isn't any of your concern whether I choose to eat or not… go do what you're paid to do, and let me do what I need to in my own way," she said with slight irritation seeping into her voice.

He sighed, giving up as he always did and nodded, excusing himself and left the office.

"You know it is unhealthy, the state that you've allowed yourself to reach," said a woman's voice.

The headmistress sighed and closed her eyes. "Minerva, I have told you as well as many others to stop being so concerned about my health. I am doing what I choose to and nothing any of you say will change it…"

Minerva McGonagall, who sat up in her portrait upon the wall sighed and essentially chose not to get into an argument with the relatively young headmistress.

It was quiet for some time before there was a sudden knock.

The headmistress of Hogwarts looked up and frowned slightly. "Enter," she called calmly.

The door to her office opened and in strode a young boy, dark hair and a pair of bright green eyes.

The headmistress recognized him immediately. Her eyes narrowed the slightest bit. "Albus Severus Potter… what may I do for you?" she asked.

He looked nervous. "Evening professor… Well… I know the lists for who's staying here and who's going home over the holidays have already been written up, but… I was wondering if it might be possible to change my mind?" he asked.

She raised a brow. "Why?"

"Well, I thought at first that I wanted to stay here for Christmas with some friends, but… I think I miss home a lot more than I thought I would, so… I was hoping maybe I can go home after all?"

Green eyes met green and there was a moment of silence before the headmistress nodded. "Done… I'll have you put onto the home bound list by the end of tonight…" she said calmly.

He looked visibly relieved by this and smiled. "Thank you, Professor Snape," he said, smiling with new confidence as he strode back out the door and out to where his friends probably waited for him.

She watched him go, her eyes narrowing further when he turned around the thick wooden doorway, darkening her expression beneath her dark layer of bangs, the rest of her hair held up and fastened into a high ponytail, her jet black hair cascading over her shoulder and down to her lap like a raven black waterfall.

"Why do you make it so obvious that you are displeased with his existence?" asked a deep voice.

She closed her eyes for a minute and licked her lips to moisten them a little. "Because seeing him a constant remind that his father is the reason you're dead…" she said calmly.

A sigh issued from one of the paintings. "Lilia…"

She frowned, twisting the ring around her wedding finger again, looking at the way the diamonds and emerald caught the light so well. "Don't tell me I'm being a brat, Severus… I can dislike whoever I choose to. You should know this well enough," she shot at him.

He frowned, looking at her. He then crossed his arms and parted his lips which had been set in a grim line for a while. "Go and eat dinner…" he ordered.

She smirked faintly. "You can't order me around, Severus. And no. I'm not feeling well…"

He narrowed his eyes from inside his portrait as he looked at her. "It's more than you just not feeling well, isn't it…?" he asked solemnly after a while.

She shrugged indifferently.

He frowned. "You weren't this sick last year. What's going on?"

She glanced up at him. Those black locks of hair, those dark eyes, that hooked nose… every time she looked at him, her heart ached terribly to have him alive again, to feel him, breathe in his scent, to see him in the halls… It took her breath away, painfully every time.

"Nothing is going on…" she finally said stubbornly.

He was about to argue with her for the hundredth time since school had begun that year, but was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Enter," the dark haired headmistress said.

The door opened and in strode a uniformed young man of about 18 or 19. His hair was a deep black, and his eyes were a dark color as well. His face was gentle looking, no doubt the face inherited from a mother.

"Professor Snape," he addressed the headmistress, bowing his head. "I've just come to deliver this from the Ministry," he said, producing a folder from within his dark jacket, holding it out to her.

Lilia reached out for it and grasped it but dropped it when a noticeable shiver travelled up her spine, making her lose her grip when her hand failed for a moment.

The young man frowned, stooping to pick up the dropped folder and then looked at her. "Professor… mum… you can't keep doing this to yourself," he said insistently.

"Doing what?" Severus asked.

The young man looked up at the portrait of his father and sighed. "She hasn't told you, has she?"

Severus' eyes darkened. "What? She hasn't told me what, Severus?"

Lilia frowned, closing her eyes. "Shut up."

Severus Jr. frowned, looking at his mother. "Mum, you're weak, you're ill… you have to do something about it. You have to get the help you need to get better…" he pleaded.

She shook her head, her green eyes looking up at her son. "No. I'm doing what I decided I would do a long time ago… I'm welcoming the end that comes my way, regardless of whether it will be a painful one or not…"

"You're only thirty five!" Severus growled from his portrait. "Why are you being a foolish and stubborn woman and refusing help?"

She remained silent for a while and then sighed. "Thankyou, Severus…" she said, picking up the folder again and opened it, glancing through at the contents. "I suppose you'll be needing to get back to the Ministry?"

He nodded curtly, looking at her with concern in the eyes he'd inherited from his father. He was smart enough to know his mother had ended the argument right there by changing the topic so suddenly. "I'll see you over the holidays?" he asked.

She nodded. "I'll be home…" she said calmly, looking down, her delicate and lovely face obscured slightly by her long, dark hair.

He sighed and glanced up at the portrait of his father again, bowing his head and turned to go so he could return to his work at the Ministry.

Severus watched his son go, looking silent and brooding as always. He then looked at Lilia quietly. "He's grown…"

She paused in her reading and sighed. "He looks almost just like you…"

He rolled his eyes. "He'd inherited your face… fortunate that he should, too…" he muttered.

She scowled up at his portrait.

He looked at her quietly. "Why are you refusing to do what both him, I and everyone else ask you to do?" he asked.

She gazed up at him silently and then turned away slowly. "Because… right now, I am dying…" she said calmly. "When I die, I'll be able to finally rejoin you…"

He frowned at this. "What do you mean you're dying?"

She smirked weakly. "The same illness that took my mother's life is now staking its claim on mine… and I am willingly submitting myself to it. I won't fight it. I won't deny it. I will go when the time comes… in a matter of months now I suppose…" she shrugged. "Perhaps it will happen over the summer… either way. I have grown ill and I am ready to let go and move in," she said.

He looked at her steadily. "And you would leave Severus behind?"

She sighed. "He's a grown man, Severus… he understands…"

He frowned. "Not from what I saw. He seems one of the most desperate to see you grow healthy… to live…" he said.

She looked up at him. "I have not lived at all since the day you died nineteen years ago," she said. "I have not smiled, laughed or felt a thing since I saw you lying there, dead in the boathouse…" she told him.

He sighed, crossing his arms again which he'd done a lot lately while conversing and arguing with Lilia. He knew what she said was true though. Over the last few years she'd been headmistress, he could see the light which had been there before after much hard work, had gone out… no doubt since the day he'd died.

She watched him do so and smirked. "Your son is the only person who told me he understands why I do the things I do and don't do… he may not like it… but he understands why I have submitted to the fate sent my way," she said.

He frowned. As did several other previous headmasters and headmistress.

"You cannot make me change my mind… none of you in here can. I've decided for myself what I want, and I will get it whether you want me to or not…" she said. "It is my decision, ultimately…"

Severus looked at the woman who he'd felt nothing but love for all these last twenty some years. Someone who had stolen his heart as a girl, and still made him love her even as a woman.

He'd wanted nothing more than to be with her and keep her by his side, as selfish as the idea was, a small piece of him selfishly desired her to die and rejoin him so he could be with her again… but not like this. He still loved her and did not wish for her to give up and let herself die just to be with him again. He knew she would not listen to reason, but it still made him want to argue with her in the issue. Try to convince her that she didn't have to let herself die. But the argument was lost…

He knew his son had accepted Lilia's decision and so he supposed he could only accept hers now as well and welcome her when she died one day in the near future.

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Eventually she did… Lilia Snape… that was the name she chosen to carry after she'd given birth to her first child at the age of seventeen, and it was the name she had died with, a little before the summer of that year.

After a long process, she had been granted the name, as had her son, whom she named after his father. A father he would not get the chance to meet in person ever… A father Lilia could only tell him about as much as she could, until she'd decided she would become headmistress and see him once again.

When she'd passed away, submitting to the illness which had tortured her for several months, Severus, her son, had mourned her death. He'd understood why she let go, why she couldn't bring herself to live without the one man she loved more than anything in the world.

He didn't hate her for it… He didn't even see a reason to tell her he forgave her, because he felt she'd done nothing wrong.

As a child, Severus had seen the effects of a long dead lover had had on his mother. She had told him about his father, done what most mothers did, provided for him, given him a home and cared for him… but she'd been empty. He'd always seen that.

When she died though and he attended her funeral, he could see that emptiness had disappeared… She'd reunited with the man she loved dearly, even if it meant leaving her son behind in the world of the living.

Severus loved both his parents, even if he didn't quite know his father, and his mother had been distant and unresponsive for a long time… But they were still his parents. The ones who'd given him a chance at life, and for that, he could never hate either one of them for abandoning him.

"It is with deep sorrow and deep unmoving love… that I say how I hope Lilia Snape… finds the peace and love she'd lost in this world… in the next…" he concluded his speech during his mothers funeral.

He recognized the Pyrites family, who had looked after him and his mother when she had been only a young mother, trying so hard to go to school, work hard to reach the goal she'd set for herself, as well as trying to give her son a family. In many ways they were his family… Declan and Tamora being like his grandparents and Felix and Mary-emma, his uncle and aunt… He cherished them and all they'd done for him and his mother when they'd lived with them several years ago. And here they were, like a real family, as though attending the funeral of their own child or sibling… For that, he was grateful as well.

He stood with them when they buried Lilia in a plot beside someone named Dawn. He hadn't known much about this Dawn girl, but from what he did know, she was someone who had died protecting his mother nineteen years before, and for that, he held respect for the faceless girl. He hoped his mother might find her in the afterlife as well eventually…

After some time, the funeral dissipated and Severus kissed his mother's black marble headstone, looking at the inscription above her birth and death date upon it with a mix of sadness and love.

_Here lies Lilia Snape,_

_A loving and beloved mother, wife, and Headmistress…_

He'd known his mother and his father had never truly married, but he'd insisted the inscription be placed there, knowing it would make both his parents proud if they could ever see it. Not only that, he knew it would make his mother happy, having watched her twirl the ring his father had given her many years ago, which she'd eventually moved to her wedding finger in a loving gesture, so others would know her heart was taken.

With that last glance, he turned and walked away, the wind picking up and brushing a few leaves past his mother's grave and into the air lightly.

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It was like being alive again…

Lilia knew she was dead, but… she was there… and so was he… Her eyes were widened for a while before she took a step in his direction. She suddenly felt like a child all over again, not like the thirty five year old woman she had become in the years apart from him.

"Severus…?" she whispered.

He nodded, looking at her.

She swallowed. "Is this truly real…?" she asked.

He nodded again. He then held out his hand to her, his dark eyes unwavering as he looked upon her, the woman who still held only love for him even after all this time. "Come…" he uttered calmly and quietly in his calculated and deep tone.

She looked at him, her green eyes meeting his and she walked towards him, taking his hand and then genuinely smiled for the first time in over nineteen years.

He smirked faintly, holding her hand in his own.

And they kissed… in over nineteen years they had not been able to touch one another, but now… they were together again, and forever would be. Or so Lilia would like it to be…

When they parted, she looked at him with only love in her eyes, which until then had remained deadened and hollow since his death.

She was with him again… even if they were both dead in reality… she was with him again, and his arms around her waist felt real enough… That was all that mattered to her… Nothing else…

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(( SOOOO there you have it O_O The final chapter in my beloved baby of a fan fiction :D I HOPE you all enjoyed it and weren't disappointed by the ending even though it was rather cliché xDD BUT whatever lol :P ALSOOOOO really sorry about me re-uploading the chapter like four thousand time this morning xD I would upload it and then remember I wanted to add something in again and then delete then re-upload and wow... just was not prepared for all the sudden lines I wanted to tweak xDDD but anyways I liked it and so THERE xDD Blah lol So as promised :D Here is the link to my next fan fiction between Lucius Malfoy and another OC ;)

.net/s/7289628/1/Elveiras_Prophecy

Okay, SO it wont just post the entire link xDDD so when you wanna go to this new story, type in fanfiction and then copy in the rest LOL

I hope you all like it! Please go read it and begin to check back regularly to new chapters J Anyways! Toodloo lol PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE flood my email inbox with stunningly long reviews for this story and this chapter :D I would love to know what you all think ))


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